


The Strongest Force in the Galaxy

by lulumonnie



Series: lou's star wars fics [1]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, The Mandalorian (TV)
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, Coparents to lovers, First Kiss, Fluff, Get Luke Skywalker a hunky space bf agenda, Getting Together, Introspection, Investigations, Let Grogu and his dad be together challenge, M/M, Mission Fic, Mutual Pining, Slow Burn, Spoilers for Season 2, Spy Boyfriends Sabotage the Empire Remnants, force ghost obi-wan is the best matchmaker, i needed fanfic and i couldn't find it so i created it, no beta we die like people, of sorts, the slowest of burns, yes i know they barely had any interaction in the ep do you think that will stop me
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-21
Updated: 2021-02-02
Packaged: 2021-03-10 22:54:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 38
Words: 82,373
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28204959
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lulumonnie/pseuds/lulumonnie
Summary: Din visits his son on Yavin and learns some more about the Jedi. He grows closer with Luke Skywalker as they handle what the galaxy throws at them and the kids.Spoilers for Season 2 of The MandalorianPolish TranslationChinese Translation
Relationships: Background Ahsoka Tano/Cara Dune, Background Obi-Wan Kenobi/Satine Kryze, Din Djarin/Luke Skywalker, background Obi-Wan Kenobi/CC-2224 | Cody
Series: lou's star wars fics [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2131977
Comments: 1207
Kudos: 1966
Collections: Movies





	1. Arrival

**Author's Note:**

> i literally have no excuse for this i saw Luke and his chanel boots stomp his way into the last ep and i knew i had to write something. this is me contributing to filling the ao3 tag on dinluke because it hurts me that there are so little fics.

If you’d asked Din a few years ago what he’d be doing in the future, the answer would’ve probably been a non-commital shrug and a gesture at his ship. He would have imagined that he’d have continued to work as a bounty hunter, travelling the galaxy in search of some petty criminal or some imperial asshole. He wasn’t especially picky.

He really had not expected to be in this situation, travelling to the secret Jedi Temple on Yavin to see his son, to stay with him if at all possible. He wasn’t entirely sure if a Jedi could’ve forseen this course of events either. Could Jedi see the future? He wasn’t sure. _Jedi are weird,_ he thought privately, only to immediately wonder if the black-clad man waiting for him at the entrance of the temple could hear what he was thinking. _Can you hear me think?_ _,_ Din asked in his head, scrutinizing the other man from under his helmet. The Jedi didn’t seem to react, a serene, almost wise expression resting on his face. _Yeah_ , Din thought. _Definitely weird_. 

‘It’s good to see you’, the Jedi said. He sounded genuine. Din didn’t really know why that made him feel… relieved? It certainly made him feel something. He decided to deal with that later and gave the Jedi a short nod. 

‘Where is he?’, Din asked, his voice breaking. He’d missed Grogu more than he thought he ever could miss anyone, more than he’d missed his parents after their death. 

The Jedi smiled, seemingly picking up on his urgency. _What a strange man_. 

‘This way. He’s very excited to see you again.’

Din followed the Jedi into the dark corridors of the temple. He began to think that this was about as good of a place for a child as the Razor Crest had been when suddenly the corridor widened into a large courtyard covered in plants and flowers, with a large pond filled with water lilies in a fantastic array of all the colours of the rainbow. _I bet there isn’t a metal ball for Grogu_ , Din thought a bit bitterly, when suddenly he heard a sound that made his heart stop in its tracks. 

It was a loud garbly sound coming from beside the pond. To anyone else it would’ve just been something minor, unimportant, but to Din this sound was more important than anything else. In the countless sleepless nights he had since the Jedi had taken Grogu on that cursed ship, he’d replayed the last time he heard that sound over and over again, feeling his heart clench with a strange mix of longing and pride. 

It felt like he was coming home when he saw Grogu emerge from the thicket next to the pond, his small legs moving incredibly fast as Din raced towards his foundling, immediately dropping to his knees to scoop the little guy up in his arms. He felt hot tears run down his face as he cradled his son to his chest, the happy babbling of Grogu in his arms the most beautiful sound he’d heard in a while. 

‘Hi kid’, he said, his voice thick with tears and happiness. 

‘Brguuuuu’, Grogu replied, cradling Din’s helmet in his tiny hands, blinking up at him with his large, expressive eyes. 

‘How are you? Have you been eating well? Have you made friends? Did the Jedi treat you well?’, Din asked, stumbling over his words in an effort to figure out how Grogu was doing. 

‘He is well’, came the voice of the Jedi behind him. Din automatically reached for the blaster strapped to his side, having completely forgotten about the other. 

‘He is very happy to see you’, the Jedi said kindly. 

‘How is he doing?’, Din asked, not turning around to look at the other man but keeping his eyes on the child in his arms.

‘He’s adjusting well. He made some friends here, he plays with everyone.’

Din smiled underneath the helmet. 

‘He talks of you a lot. The other children are quite adamant about meeting you as well, if you wouldn’t mind’, the Jedi added. 

Din turned around to look at him. The Jedi was looking at him with a soft smile on his face. It looked good on him. 

‘He talks?’, Din asked. 

‘Well, he hasn’t said words yet. He communicates through the force’. 

_Oh. Some Jedi shit_. 

‘You come up a lot in his thoughts’, the Jedi said. ‘You are a good father to him, Din.’

 _You_ are, Din thought. _Not you were. You are_. 

‘How do you know my name?’

The Jedi smiled. 

‘Grogu told me.’

‘So you know who I am but I don’t even know your name’, Din said, turning back to look at Grogu who was currently trying to find leverage on his helmet to lift it up. 

The Jedi chuckled. 

‘That’s refreshing’, he said, his voice light. ‘I’m Luke.’

‘Refreshing?’

‘I’m Luke Skywalker’, the Jedi said. 

Din whipped his head around. 

‘You’re the kid who blew up the death stars?’

‘...Well I’m not a kid anymore, but yes. That’s me.’

‘Dank farrik, that’s why Cara looked at me all funny when I kept calling you Jedi’, Din mumbled under his breath, prying Grogu’s hands off. ‘Later, kid.’

‘Well, now that you know my name as well, let me show you to where you’ll be staying’. 

Din was led away from the courtyard towards more corridors, these ones tiled with some sandstone and covered in intricate drawings and writing that Din couldn’t decipher. 

_What is this place_ , he wondered, but he felt it was too strange of a question to ask about a secret base. 

‘Why did you let me come?’, he asked instead, voicing the question that had been on his mind for weeks, ever since he’d received the message through Cara. 

The Jedi - Luke was quiet for a few moments. 

‘I’m not entirely sure. Grogu missed you and I felt- I felt it may be best to have you around for him to be more emotionally stable. I could also sense that you were in a similar state. You two share a strong bond, and in order for Grogu to master his fears he needs to be-- stable in a way.’

‘Having me around is the surest way to instability’, Din commented dryly. 

Luke laughed, shooting a glance at the masked man next to him. 

‘I’m trying to navigate between very old concepts of what it means to be a Jedi and what I believe is right, what I believe is true. If you would have asked the Jedi Council in the days of the Old Republic, I’m sure they would have declined to even train Grogu because they believe that his attachment to you makes him weak, vulnerable even.’

‘Grogu isn’t weak’, Din interjected, suddenly feeling more defensive than usual. Why was Luke saying all these things?

‘I agree. I believe in certain ways our bonds with people can make us far stronger. Love can just as easily be our downfall as it can be our triumph. It is not the inherent evil nature of relationships that make or break a person, but their choices. Their actions. That’s where I divert from the old ways. I don’t believe that Grogu is weak or that his relationship with you is making him weak. I think it has the potential to make him incredibly strong and wise. It also has the potential to drive him into madness.’

Luke seemed to think for a while, leading Din down further corridors. 

‘I suppose what I’m trying to say is that I believe that both of you being able to let each other go if need be is a good sign. In my mind, love is the strongest weapon for any Jedi. If you let that love become rigid and possessive, you allow the dark side to take over. But as long as you are able to love a person in whatever capacity, without limiting their choices and without becoming possessive and overbearing, it can be the strongest force in the galaxy.’

Din stared at Luke. He hadn’t been expecting such a long answer. He wasn’t entirely sure if he understood it completely. 

‘But.. if we have to let go, why are you letting me stay?’, Din asked. 

Luke smiled absentmindedly as he put a hand on Din’s arm to lead him into a side-corridor towards a few doors. 

‘Because I believe it would be good for both of you. Because I see a form of unpossessive, unselfish love between you both and I wish to support and nurture that. If my other students see what it means to love unselfishly, all the better.’

Din felt the anxiety thrumming in his veins settle down a bit. It seemed as if Luke wasn’t expecting him to leave after a short time and never return. 

‘Thank you’, Din whispered, unsure if Luke would be able to hear it through his helmet. 

Luke smiled softly. He seemed to be doing that a lot. 

‘You are welcome. Thank you for leaving Grogu in my care. He is a very special being.’

‘He is’, Din said, his voice thick. He looked down at the green toddler in his arms. With a surge of affection he realised that Grogu had fallen asleep. 

‘Here we are’, Luke said, lowering his voice to a whisper. ‘These are your quarters. You are welcome to stay for as long as you like. If you need me, I will be in my study or in a classroom or meditating. If in doubt, ask R2. He’ll know.’

‘Thank you, General Skywalker’, Din said. 

‘Luke.’

Din nodded. 

‘Thank you, Luke.’

‘Thank _you_ , Din.’

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed! I'm planning on maybe 5 chapters of this, depending on how well I can write in the next few days.  
> Let me know what you thought! I'd love to hear your takes on DinLuke because apparently I'm obsessed with this now.  
> If you want to yell at me, my tumblr is @mandalourian


	2. Friends

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i would just like to say that my star wars knowledge is pretty basic, so if any of this isn't fully accurate, it's probably bc i dont know any better. anyway, i hope you enjoy!!!  
> also it's like midnight and ive only read through this like once so bear with me if i have to fix some mistakes tomorrow

Din woke up to a beeping outside of his room. He didn’t remember falling asleep, but that wasn’t surprising. He never was able to stay awake for very long when his son had fallen asleep during the night. Instinctively, he grabbed the blaster from under his pillow, cradling a still sleeping Grogu to his chest and putting on his helmet in less than ten seconds. For a moment he was surprised by his surroundings, but when he felt Grogu wriggle in his arms, the memory rushed back to him. He looked down at Grogu and felt his heart clench at the way the small child clutched Din’s cloak. Grogu looked comfortable, tiny in his arms. The familiar protective feeling welled up inside of Din as he slowly made his way towards the door, transferring Grogu to the brown pouch he always carried around on his hip. Even after he was separated from Grogu, he could never bring himself to stop carrying around the empty baby satchel. It felt… wrong. 

He approached the door cautiously, keeping the grip on the blaster tight and finally pressing the button on the panel next to the door. It slid open, revealing the blue and white droid that he’d seen on the imperial cruiser with Luke. 

_ Great. A kriffing droid.  _

‘What do you want’, Din asked, feeling silly about even talking to the walking pile of metal. 

The droid hopped around a bit, wiggling from leg to leg and making various beeping noises. 

‘Can’t you speak?’, Din asked. 

The droid beeped some more. 

‘Great. Very helpful.’

The droid let out a somewhat annoyed squeak-like beep and after a bit of wiggling started driving down the corridor. Din rolled his eyes and followed the weird mechanical menace.  _ This thing better not be leading me into a trap otherwise i will dismantle it and sell it for parts, _ he thought. 

After a minute, the droid had led him into a large hall. It looked old. There were stone columns surrounding the inner part of the hall and the walls were covered in more intricate drawings and writing. The roof of the hall was made of glass, letting in the daylight and bathing the entire room in a soft greenish-yellow light. There were plants growing up the stone columns, their flowers an iridescent yellow sheen that reflected onto the stone floor. 

The most distracting thing in the room however was the Jedi doing a handstand in the middle, surrounded by six large rocks floating in the air. Luke’s unruly blonde hair was falling to the floor, his eyes were closed and his dark robes were hanging off of him, dangling on the floor. His shiny black boots were leaning against a column close to Din. 

Awkwardly, Din cleared his throat.

‘Sorry, I don’t mean to startle you’, he started, when Luke’s eyes opened slightly, the striking blue seemingly boring into Din’s helmet. He found that to be a less unpleasant feeling than he would have expected.  _ Another thing to deal with later, _ he thought. When exactly later was, he wasn’t sure, but it certainly wasn’t going to be anytime soon. 

‘I would not make a very good Jedi if you could startle me that easily now, would I?’, Luke said, chuckling as the hovering rocks slowly settled on the ground. Luke smiled at Din from upside down and moved to jump to his feet when suddenly a part of his long robe fell into his eyes, making him lose balance and tip over to one side, until he was toppling to the ground in a heap. 

‘Oh - are you okay?’, Din asked, moving forward a bit, unsure whether he ought to help or pretend it never happened. Luke got up gracefully with a sheepish look on his face. Din felt a rush of-- something. 

‘Ahh, I’m fine. I really should change for these kinds of exercises’, Luke answered, gathering up his boots and dusting off his robe. 

Din nodded, feeling extremely awkward. 

‘Well, ignoring me falling over, there was a reason I sent R2 to get you. I realised I hadn’t given you the grand tour yesterday.’

‘Oh.’

‘Yes. If you are to stay here, I think you at least should know your way around a bit better. We can’t have you wandering out into the jungle only to be eaten by a Leviathan Grub. That would just be a shame.’

‘A Leviathan Grub?’, Din asked. 

‘They’re like giant worms. Very slimy. Not particularly fun to encounter, trust me’, Luke said, shuddering a bit. 

‘...alright, I’ll do my best to avoid them.’

Luke laughed. The sound seemed strangely out of place in the quiet, serene, almost abandoned seeming hall. 

‘Now that I’ve sufficiently creeped you out with local fauna, do you want to meet the rest of the younglings and get a tour of the place?’

Din nodded. Luke smiled again, a hand reaching up to mess with his already tousled hair. 

‘I really need to ask Leia what hair shampoo she uses, it’s ridiculous how her hair stays in that damn bun through whatever she does’, Luke mumbled, only just loud enough for Din to hear. 

_ Yup. Definitely weird.  _

Luke led him down a few corridors, pointing out different study areas, a large library, a dining room filled with tables of various sizes, as well as another vast courtyard completely covered in jungle. 

‘Most of the young ones spend their free time here’, Luke explained. ‘There are lots of places to play hide and seek or to test becoming adventurers.’

‘Are Grogu’s friends here too?’

Luke nodded and turned towards the jungle. 

‘Kids, Grogu and his father are here!’, he shouted. 

Immediately, the jungle began to rustle with activity as four kids of varying ages stumbled out of the thicket excitedly, crowding around Luke’s legs and looking up at Din, who was still mentally recovering from Luke calling him Grogu’s father. It was surprising how much pride he felt at the other man’s acknowledgement. 

The sound of the children running seemed to have woken Grogu up, since the little one finally started to wiggle in the sash tied around Din’s shoulder. Softly, he took the baby out of its secure, cloth-wrapped cocoon and kneeled down to set him on the ground. Grogu caught his gloved finger in one tiny hand and held him on the floor so that Din had no choice but to stay kneeling next to his son. 

The children around Luke started to crowd around Grogu and subsequently Din. 

‘Are you Grogu’s dad?’, a small boy with tanned skin, brown eyes and curly back hair asked interestedly. 

‘Yes.’

‘Ohhh does that mean you’re green under there too?’, asked another child with bright green eyes and shining violet skin. 

‘Nava, you can’t just ask people whether they’re green’, said a girl who seemed to be the oldest of the group. 

‘Oh sorry, I didn’t mean to be rude Mr. Grogu’s dad!’, Nava said, their green eyes flitting in between Grogu and Din. 

‘It’s - it’s fine’, Din answered, more perplexed than anything else. 

‘Now everyone, remember to be respectful and to think before you ask a question’, Luke said, a stern but not unkind tone in his voice. 

‘Yes, Master Skywalker’, the three kids who had already spoken up said. The last child seemed to be not much older than four and they seemed to nod along to the others without saying anything. 

‘Good. Now, if you do want to ask our guest some questions it would be best to wait until dinner. That would be much more appropriate. For now, let me just introduce you’, Luke said, looking down to where Din was still kneeling. 

‘This is Grogu’s father, the Mandalorian. These are Nil, Nava, Tionne and Gaeton. These four and Grogu are currently my only charges.’

‘Nice to meet you Mr. The Mandalorian’, Nava said, clasping their hands together in greeting and bowing respectfully. 

‘Nice to meet you!’, the rest of the group said, with Gaeton nodding along. 

‘Uhh, likewise’, Din said, not entirely sure how to react. 

‘Come on everyone, it’s time for lunch. Run ahead to the cafeteria and you’ll be allowed to ask the Mandalorian any questions he wants to answer later’, Luke said, putting a hand on both Nava’s and Nil’s head and motioning to Tionne to usher the four other children towards the dining hall. 

‘Well, with that you’ve met every inhabitant’, Luke said. 

‘Thank you’, Din answered, still slightly weirded out by the situation. 

‘Of course!’, Luke said, his voice warm. ‘Let’s follow the kids. If you don’t watch out they’ll have eaten everything the droids have prepared for us before we even get there.’

Din felt himself chuckle.  _ Weird.  _

‘Grogu has quite the appetite’, Luke commented. 

Din scoffed. 

‘That’s one way of putting it.’

Luke nodded absentmindedly.

‘Din, may I ask you something?’

Din nodded. 

‘When Grogu first arrived, he was often mentioning a -- ball of some sort in his thoughts. He seemed very adamant that his training would only continue with a ball. I tried multiple different types of balls, but none of them were right’. Luke said. ‘Do you have any idea what he might mean?’

Din felt his cheeks grow warm under the helmet. 

‘Yes. He means this’, he answered, digging through his bag and holding up the small metal ball in question. 

A flash of incomprehension crossed Luke’s face, as if he wasn’t entirely sure what to make of this situation. Then, he started to giggle, his face lighting up with mirth. 

‘You know I honestly started to think it was some form of metaphor’, Luke admitted, grinning. ‘The only other being like Grogu I’ve ever met was quite prone to speaking in riddles.’ 

‘You’ve met people like Grogu before?’, Din asked, suddenly much more alert. 

‘One. He was my Master’, Luke explained. ‘He passed on before my eyes.’

‘Oh. I’m very sorry’, Din said. 

Luke turned his face to look at Din. It felt like even though Din was wearing his helmet, those blue eyes could tell what he was thinking. 

‘Thank you’, Luke said softly, putting a hand on Din’s shoulder and sending a shiver of -- something down his spine. 

_ He’s not even fully touching you, _ Din’s brain supplied.  _ Pathetic.  _

_ Shut up, _ Din told his brain. 

They rounded the corner towards the dining hall and Din saw and heard the five children laughing and stuffing their faces with a large assortment of foods. Grogu was sitting on a high stool, happily munching on something that vaguely resembled an egg. Luke walked inside with Din following, watching the scene in front of him unfold. It seemed happy and tranquil, and as soon as Luke sat down on Grogu’s left, patting the child’s back, it seemed almost- complete. 

‘Come on, let’s eat’, Luke said, smiling up at Din from his place at the table.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you for reading! let me know what you thought!!


	3. Trouble

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While Din adjusts to life at the Jedi Temple, Luke recieves some news.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi yall! let me just say that the response to this fic has me absolutely blown away, im amazed so many of you are commenting and subscribing?? thank you so much for every single comment or kudo, they really mean a lot for any writer. im very glad that so many people are also descending into DinLuke hell because it sure is nice not to be alone down here.  
> i hope you'll like this chapter!!

The next few days were filled with more children and more laughter than Din had heard in months, if not years. When it had just been Grogu and him there had never been this much noise. Din was surprised to see that he didn’t really mind the loudness. There was something comforting about sitting in the large courtyard, cleaning his spear and listening to the five children run around pretending to be banthas. For some reason, Nava’s impression of a bantha was scarily accurate. 

Luke giggled lightly when Din commented on it on the second day. 

‘Nava has many unique talents. Their parents also let them play with toy banthas for too long’, the younger explained. 

‘There are toy banthas?’

Luke shuddered. 

‘Yes. I have no idea why. They aren’t necessarily bad creatures but out of all the things to make toys of, you’d think people would choose something cuter, wouldn’t you? Maybe there’s a market for toy Grogus.’

Din stared at Luke. 

‘I can sense you raising your eyebrow’, Luke said, his voice filled with mirth. Din smiled despite himself. 

‘Is that another Jedi thing?’

Luke laughed. 

‘No. You’re just very expressive for someone wearing a helmet’, he explained, resting a hand on Din’s shoulder, giving him a smile and heading to the kids, gathering them around him and explaining some forcey thing that Din didn’t understand. 

_ Expressive? Noone has ever called me expressive before,  _ Din thought. 

A lot of Luke’s words were weighing on his mind, a fact that Din wasn’t prepared to dwell on. The Jedi was a fascinating mix of wise and thoughtful commentary, laughter and stumbled explanations of Jedi customs. Anything that concerned the Jedi in general that had nothing to do with Grogu wasn’t interesting to Din, or so he thought. Luke, who continued to surprise him, somehow managed to make his lessons for the children seem interesting even for someone as far-removed from galactic politics as Din. It was… unusual for Din to wilfully get involved in anything concerning the Rebellion, but hearing Luke’s stories about it made it seem less like a removed, unchangeable fact and more like a real event on his doorstep, or Luke’s doorstep in this case. 

Grogu, who had waddled over to him and planted himself in Din’s lap tore him from his musings. 

‘Bragblblb’, Grogu said, his small hands tightening on the fabric of Din’s cloak. 

‘Heya kid’, Din said softly. ‘Aren’t you supposed to be in class?’

Grogu blinked at him, employing his patented  _ If I stare at dad long enough he will stop questioning me and instead start hugging me _ strategy. 

‘Grogu, Lu- I mean Master Skywalker is going to be upset if you skip his class’, Din said, trying his best to remain stern. 

Grogu only widened his eyes, blinking a bit more. 

‘Grogu, you need to be in class’, Din said but he could feel his defenses crumbling. 

‘Mr. Mandalorian!’, Nava’s voice came from one of the corridors.

‘Yes?’

‘Ah, there you are, sir! Master Skywalker said to go look for you, we’ve lost Grogu!’

Din smiled under his helmet. Grogu really was a sneaky one. 

‘He’s here’, Din said. 

Nava came running down the corridor, coming to a halt in front of Din. 

‘Oh that’s amazing, should I take him back with me?’, they asked. 

‘I’ll come with you’, said Din, getting up from where he had been sitting in the courtyard. ‘Don’t look at me like that, Grogu.’

Grogu had been shooting him a long, disappointed look, which was quickly forgotten about when Nava started telling Grogu a story about fighting an oversized ice centipede. 

‘Ah, there you are’, Luke said as soon as Din entered the room. ‘I was hoping you’d come along, I need to talk to you anyway.’

Din cocked his head but Luke just motioned for him to place Grogu down and take a seat himself. 

‘Alright everyone, who can tell me why we stay in this temple and only head outside for training?’, Luke asked, looking around at the five children and Din. 

Tionne raised her hand eagerly.

‘It’s the leviathan grubs outside, Master! They’re very dangerous’, she explained. 

‘They’d gobble us up for breakfast just like that’, added Nava with a snap of their finger, a fascinated glint in their eyes. 

Luke nodded sagely, although Din noticed the small twitch of his mouth at Nava’s comment. 

‘Correct, you two. Now, you’re all still far too young to be heading out, but someone will have to gather some supplies somehow. The kitchen droid is running out of food that we can’t grow ourselves and I need to contact the New Republic, which I can’t do from here. Usually I’d head out by myself, but R2 has also received some troubling news from the Outer Rim, which we might have to deal with on our way back to the planet. Din, I wouldn’t ask this of you if it wasn’t important, but would you mind accompanying me? The children will be safe here, there is more than one protective forcefield around and no one but my most trusted friends know of this location.’

Din looked at Luke for a while, weighing his options. 

‘Alright.’

Luke smiled, his face relieved. 

‘Thank you, my friend. It is most appreciated. Now, while we are gone, Tionne will be in charge. You all know what to do. Do not go outside without good reason and only contact me in absolute emergencies. We will head out in the morning’, Luke finished off, nodding to the younglings around him. ‘That concludes training for today. Go and have some fun before dinner is served.’

The five children jumped up, Gaeton coming to pick up Grogu who was waving a small hand at Din before being carried off, brabbling happily. 

‘Thank you for coming along’, Luke, who was walking towards Din was saying. ‘I would be able to handle the grubs and the supplies by myself, I have done so in the past, but the message R2 picked up was… troubling to say the least and I’d rather have someone by my side in case things go south.’

‘What was the message?’

Luke frowned, glancing towards the door as if to check that the children had certainly gone. 

‘I don’t fully know. It was a New Republic Transmission warning about troubles on Phindar. There seem to be some remains of empirical forces tucked away somewhere. They’ve made travelling through the entire system nearly impossible. They jam your transmissions and then board any large ship with a skeleton crew only to blow up the ship’s fuel cells. That’s the most I could decipher from the message R2 got. I will have to talk to my sister and see if she needs help on this once we reach the closest base of the New Republic.’

Din nodded. Luke smiled at him again. 

‘Thank you, really. I didn’t want to ask you since you’d just gotten here, but I think going by myself would be unwise. And to be honest, I really appreciate your company.’

That weird rush of some unnamed feeling returned as Luke rested a hand on his shoulder again, squeezed a bit and headed out of the room with a smile. Din really did not know what it was that he was feeling, but he chalked it up to the Jedi being much more touchy than his usual companions, save perhaps Grogu. But then again, Grogu was a child while Luke was very much not. There was a distinct difference between the warm, soft feeling he got when he woke up to find that Grogu had once again buried his face under Din’s arm and the sort of electric, rushing warmth he felt when Luke touched his arm or smiled at him in that specific way of his. He couldn't place the strange sensation but the more he felt it, the more addictive it seemed. He wanted Luke to smile at him more, wanted him to accidentally touch his hand when they walked side by side, wanted him to gently squeeze the part of his armour where the beskar didn’t cover the underlying cloth. The Jedi’s touch was starting to become something that Din craved, even though he didn’t know _ why. _ And it wasn’t just Luke’s touchiness that Din wanted, it was his thoughts, his opinions. Din hadn’t thought he’d ever truly want to talk to someone. Sure, he liked Cara, he liked Greef well enough, but he never really had the urge to have long, in-depth talks with them. Luke was a different matter. Somehow Din wanted to talk to him, figure out why he smiled so much, why the man who destroyed two Death Stars and defeated the Emperor was so… sweet, so caring, why he spent most of his time teaching and training children peaceful, diplomatic ways to deal with issues. He wanted to understand Luke, really  _ know _ him. He didn’t know why it suddenly seemed so important, he’d never really felt this specific need to know someone before. It was slightly worrying how much the Jedi influenced him. 

_ You’ve been here for five days, for farrick’s sake. Calm down, _ he scolded himself.  _ Stop thinking strange thoughts.  _

He took a deep breath and stood up, continuing to ignore the weird feelings surging through him and headed out to the dining hall. 

Later, when he settled down to sleep with Grogu, who had taken to sleeping with him again, he pondered what exactly Luke and he would encounter on their mission tomorrow. He prepared himself for a rather sleepless night, but Grogu, who was already dozing off placed his small hand on Din’s chest, right above his heart and Din felt a soothing energy flow through him, easing his mind and letting his thoughts come to rest. He fell asleep quickly after that. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you all so much for reading! let me know what you thought!!  
> ill try to update every two days or every day if i can, at least until the holidays are over. this might turn out to be a lot longer than i had originally planned, but we'll see!  
> if you'd like to talk to me or follow me my tumblr is @mandalourian


	4. Grub

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Luke and Din run into some trouble on their way to the ship

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> there's some canon-typical violence coming up in this chapter, so tw for mild violence!  
> also i took a lot of liberty with the grub description bc the only real info about them I could find comes from a wookieepedia article that's about 5 sentences long so uhhh bare with me hsskskkdd

There wasn’t really anything that could have prepared Din for the disgusting sight that was a leviathan grub. They were large, slimy worms that apparently had a penchant for trying to eat anything cased in metal. They also had teeth for some kriffing reason, as if the overall beige, slimy skin and the smell wasn’t already bad enough. 

‘What kind of farricking worm has _teeth_ ’, he yelled at Luke who was standing on the other side of the monstrosity, his green lightsaber in his hand, his stance light and ready to fight at a moment’s notice. 

‘This one does’, Luke yelled back, force-chucking some rocks at the monster that was currently trying to gobble up Din. _I really should’ve taken Nava’s comment more seriously,_ Din thought remorsefully. 

* * *

Earlier, before Din had the misfortune of meeting the leviathan grub that smelled so bad even his helmet couldn’t protect him, they had been getting ready to leave the temple, when Nava, holding Grogu in their arms, had run up to him. 

‘Mr. The Mandalorian, sir, don’t get eaten by the big stinky grub out there please? Grogu says he would be very sad.’

Din chuckled and patted Grogu’s head. 

‘I’ll be fine, kid. I’ve faced worse than some oversized worms’, he said nonchalantly. 

‘Okay, sir, but they do really like metal, so be careful okay?’

Din nodded again, picking up Grogu out of Nava’s arms and holding him in front of his face, trying to convey that he was going to be just fine. 

‘Don’t worry, Grogu. We’ll be fine. You know I’ve killed a Krayt Dragon before, I can definitely handle some kriffing grub. Also, I’ll have a powerful Jedi master by my side, so I’ll be extra safe. You just stay here and stay safe’, Din said, brushing his one thumb over Grogu’s ear. The child clung to his fingers tightly for a second until Din handed him back to Nava who was looking up at him in awe. 

‘One day I want to be just like you Mr. The Mandalorian’, Nava said, their eyes sparkling. Din nearly choked. _Now that’s something I never thought I’d hear,_ he thought. 

‘Wouldn’t you rather be like Master Skywalker?’, Din said, his voice scratchy. 

‘Hmm, Master Skywalker is very cool too, but you’re a lot more cool. And very shiny. I want to be shiny too!’, Nava explained earnestly, holding onto Grogu who seemed to be nodding along. Din felt his heart surge with affection. 

‘Well kid, I’m sure you’ll get to be uhh… as shiny as you want to be when you grow up’, he said, feeling a bit awkward. He didn’t really understand what Nava meant with ‘wanting to be shiny’, but then again he wasn’t sure if you could. 

Nava’s eyes glinted and their face broke out in a wide grin. 

‘You really think so? That’s so cool, thank you!!! I have to tell everyone, come on Grogu! Bye Mr. Grogu’s Dad!’, they yelled, turning on their heels and running towards the three other kids playing in the courtyard. Din watched them go, a small, fond smile spreading on his hidden face.

‘You’re very good with kids’, a voice behind him said. Immediately Din had drawn his blaster and his Darksaber, whirling around and going into defense mode. Luke, who had been speaking, was standing in front of him with his hands raised and a blush covering his face. Din elected to ignore the giddy feeling that that particular sight gave him. 

‘Ahh, sorry. I should know better than to sneak up on you like that’, Luke said, scratching his neck awkwardly. He looked mildly embarrassed. 

Din relaxed, putting away his blaster and the Darksaber. He caught Luke staring at it questioningly for a moment, but the other seemed to shelve his questions for now and looked back up. 

‘It’s fine’, Din said, leaning down to pack up the last of the supplies they’d need to get to the ship that Luke had hidden away on some remote part of the planet. 

‘I do mean it though. You’re very good with kids’, Luke repeated, a strange expression on his face. 

Din shrugged, closing his backpack and handing Luke the second one. Their fingers brushed and even through the gloves, Din felt a strange spark of electricity run up his arm. _Must be some Jedi shit,_ he thought. _Some force shenanigans._

‘Thank you’, Luke said quietly, the intensity in his eyes remaining. As he looked into the other’s eyes, Din felt locked in place for a few seconds. He couldn’t bring himself to look away from Luke whose face was returning to the lovely shade of red it had been before. 

Din wasn’t sure how long they would have stayed like that if they hadn’t been interrupted by the beeping of the blue droid. 

‘Ah, R2, did you finish the route plan?’, Luke asked, after he’d blinked a few times. His voice sounded strained and he was still a bit pink in the face. Din was very thankful for his helmet, otherwise he would’ve been in the same predicament. 

The droid beeped a few more times. How Luke understood what he was saying was beyond Din. It all sounded like nonsensical beeps to him.

‘Alright. Then we’ll head out’, Luke said, turning back to Din, who nodded. 

They said goodbye to the children, Din giving Grogu a hug and patting Nava on the head awkwardly. Nava was positively beaming. Luke and Din left the temple through the confusing maze of tunnels and headed into the jungle. They’d been walking for a few hours already, the comfortable silence sometimes interrupted by Luke pointing out an important landmark to keep track of their location, when suddenly Luke stopped and put an arm in front of Din’s chest. 

‘Wait. I sense something.’

‘What?’

‘There’s something coming our way’, he whispered, closing his eyes and letting his features fall into a serene expression. 

‘Where from? What is it?’, Din asked quietly. 

‘Grub’, Luke cursed, opening his eyes and drawing his lightsaber. 

‘Dank farrik’, Din mumbled, drawing his blaster and his spear. 

* * *

And this brought them to the current situation. Luke was still throwing large rocks at the monster, trying to get it to pay attention to him, but the oversized lizard apparently thought Din was the more tasty snack of the two. 

‘Din!’, Luke yelled as the giant worm bore down with surprising speed for a creature so large and chubby. Din only just managed to duck out of the way, firing a few blaster shots at it, but nothing he could throw at the creature seemed to do any damage. 

‘How do you kill these things?’, Din yelled at Luke while jumping from tree to tree in an effort to stay alive. 

‘They have a weak spot on their soft underbelly, but it’s incredibly hard to reach’, Luke shouted, lighting his saber and jumping, or rather flying towards the grub to stab at its mouth, knocking out some of its disgusting, gigantic teeth.

‘How do we get to it?’, Din yelled, aiming a shot for the creature’s mouth. 

‘We need to get it to roll over or something’, Luke said, throwing a look back at Din. 

That was a mistake.

The grub, who seemed miffed about its missing teeth snapped its jaw shut inches away from Luke’s face, only barely missing his hand, but grasping his lightsaber in its large talons. 

‘Luke!’, Din yelled, clutching his blaster tighter, his heart racing. 

Luke cursed and jumped away from the grub, getting some distance between himself and the snapping jaw. 

‘It swallowed my saber’, he grimaced. ‘It took forever to make that.’

‘Are you okay?’, Din asked, trying and failing to mask the anxiety in his voice. 

‘Yeah. It didn’t get me, but I’ll have to get my saber back somehow’, Luke said, frowning. ‘Alright, don’t shoot at it for a second. I’m trying something.’  
‘Wha--’, Din started, but Luke was already running towards the slimy worm.

He ran up to it, jumping over the shrubbery in his way with grace and, to Din’s horror, right into the gigantic worm’s mouth. 

‘LUKE’, Din shouted again as the monstrous talons snapped shut behind the Jedi. For a second, Din was too stunned to move as the worm made its way further towards him, snapping his talons in his direction. As he finally broke out of his stupor, the teeth were inches away from his face and he had just enough time to start his jetpack and shoot at the thing’s eyes, preparing himself for a painful hit, when suddenly the grub started writhing around. 

A low, sizzling sound came from somewhere as the grub started letting out a low howl of pain that slowly rose into a distorted, garbled scream of agony. Din pointed his blaster towards the open mouth, preparing to jump in to try and find Luke, when suddenly a green saber stabbed through the grub’s skin, making the large, slimy, disformed snail writhe more and more until _finally_ its eyes rolled back in its head and it collapsed on the ground, smoke rising from it’s mouth. Din stepped back a bit as the green saber started making room for Luke to escape from the corpse of the worm. As soon as Luke turned off the saber, Din stepped forwards, holding out a hand to pull Luke out of the dead grub. 

Luke was covered in slime and small pieces of metal. His hair was a mess and his usually impeccable black clothes were specked with soot and greyish blood. His boots somehow seemed to have sustained no damage, they were still squeaky clean and shiny. Din’s heart clenched at the sight. He reached out to rub some grey blood from Luke’s sleeve by instinct. 

‘That was really stupid’, Din said. ‘You could’ve died.’

Luke laughed a bit breathlessly, holding up his lightsaber and trying to rub it clean.

‘Yes, it was. But it was also the most effective way of killing this thing.’

Din grumbled. 

‘I guess so. But that was too close’, he said.

Luke nodded, grimacing. 

‘Next time, we’ll just figure out a way to roll the damn thing over. If I use the force you might be able to stab it in its weak spot’, Luke explained, still rubbing his lightsaber clean. 

‘Here’, Din said, pulling out a piece of cloth from his pack. 

‘Ahh thank you! Don’t worry, I have a change of clothes and a shower on the ship, you won’t be stuck with me smelling like this the entire time’, Luke said, smiling brightly. 

Din nodded, doing his best to calm his nerves. They were both fine, the worm was dead. Luke was alive even after jumping into that slime monster’s mouth, and neither of them were hurt. There was no reason for him to feel quite this agitated anymore. 

‘Ah dang, my hand is all slimy now too’, Luke said, flexing his right hand. ‘Some blood must’ve gotten into the circuits, that’s disgusting.’

‘Dang?’, Din said, amused. 

‘What?’, Luke asked, shooting Din a side glance. 

‘Nothing, I just didn’t expect you to be the type to not swear’, Din answered, chuckling. Luke shot him an amused glare. 

‘I have to set a good example for the children’, Luke said. 

‘There are no children here, you can say dank farrik’, Din said, his voice teasing. Luke blushed a bit. Din wondered how the other managed to make that look good even when covered in grub slime. 

‘It’s a hard habit to break’, Luke admitted, turning back to his hand. Din huffed a bit more, amused at the other’s reaction. 

‘Come on, let’s get to the ship already. I don’t fancy running into more of these things’, Luke said, still fussing with his hand. Din shuddered. 

‘Yes, you were right. They really weren’t very good company.’

Luke turned towards him.

‘At least this time I had some other pleasant company’, he said, smiled, and turned back around to head further into the jungle. Din stared after him, his face hot and his fingertips tingling. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi and thanks so much for reading! let me know what you thought!! ill probably not upload tomorrow, but with any luck i should have a new chapter out on saturday  
> also merry chrysler to everyone who celebrates! and happy holidays!


	5. To The Ship

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Din and Luke make their way to the ship after the grub attack. They talk.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hiya everyone! i hope yall enjoy this chapter!   
> as a quick update, i know i initially said i'd write about five chapters, but i think i accidentally planned at least five to ten more chapters. as you do. so it might still take quite a while until this story is finished.

The walk to the ship thankfully passed without any further interruptions by giant slime monsters. 

‘Do I want to ask why you decided to build this temple here where you’re surrounded by worms that would eat your students as a pre-lunch snack?’, Din asked after they had gotten a fair amount of distance between themselves and the grub corpse. Luke smiled slightly, ruffling through his dirty and slime-covered hair. 

‘It’s one of the reasons actually.’

Din turned towards him. 

‘Well, these children are precious. They will be the next generation of the New Jedi Order. They need to be protected and hidden away from any Empire- and Sith-Sympathizers.’

‘And  _ grubs  _ are the way to go?’, Din asked sceptically. 

‘Well, they’ll most likely eat any ship that tries to get too close to the temple, so droids or large tanks will have a hard time getting here. We’re also walking so there’s no clear path or landing platform close to the children. I installed several force fields around the entire temple. And you’ve seen the entrance maze. Only people who actually know their way around get through easily’, Luke explained. ‘So even if people figure out which planet the younglings are on, they’ll have a hard time getting to them before we evacuate.’

‘How many people know where the children are?’, Din asked, suddenly anxious, his mind running through countless possibilities of Grogu and the others getting hurt. 

‘Only my closest friends. Leia, my sister, Han, and those in the New Republic that absolutely need to know. All of them I would trust with my life.’

Din nodded. 

‘So that’s why Cara told me to jetpack down from the stratosphere somewhere on Yavin V’, he said.

Luke chuckled. 

‘Yes, I’m afraid I couldn’t let her know the exact location via transmission. Too risky. And you luckily landed pretty close to our doorstep, so that’s good’, Luke continued. 

Din hummed in agreement, but he was slightly distracted by a thought that had been weighing on his mind for a few days now. 

‘Luke, can I ask- why did you allow me to come here?’

Luke turned his face towards Din to throw him a confused glance. 

‘I told you when you first arrived, didn’t I?’

‘Yes, but I don't mean why you let me see Grogu. I mean… why did you allow a complete stranger to come to the Jedi Temple? Isn’t that a huge security risk?’, Din asked, twirling his blaster around in his hand. He didn’t dare look at Luke.

The other was quiet for a while, until finally he hummed thoughtfully. 

‘It is a fair question. When I told Han about my plans he told me that I was crazy letting a bounty hunter anywhere near my kids - my students, I mean. I had to remind him that he used to be a bounty hunter too. He shut up after that’, Luke said, chuckling a bit. 

‘He  _ is  _ right’, Din said, his voice a bit smaller for reasons he himself wasn’t sure of. He wasn’t sure what exactly he wanted Luke to say. 

‘In a way. But reducing you to a bounty hunter feels- well, it feels reductive’, Luke said, grinning slightly at his own pun. Din suppressed a smile under his helmet. 

‘What I mean to say is that I had a good feeling about you’, Luke finished off. 

‘A good feeling? Is that a Jedi thing? Basing your security protocols on feelings? I thought you guys weren’t supposed to do- feelings and shit’, Din asked, now thoroughly confused. Luke laughed. 

‘If you put it like that it does sound risky, doesn’t it? It is a Jedi thing, in a way at least. When I first had the thought I reached out to the force and I meditated on it for months. In the end everything I felt in the force concerning you seemed to  _ fit,  _ so it wasn’t a hard decision. Grogu’s stories helped too. Even though I had only met you once, I felt like I knew you better through Grogu’s memories. He loves you a great deal and I could sense that you mean him and the children no harm. I could also sense that you would rather die than give up his location to anyone or risk bringing him into harm’s way. That meant I could take the risk.’

Din felt somewhat speechless. Every moment he spent with Luke just affirmed his opinion on Jedi being  _ kriffing weird.  _

‘And Jedi are allowed to feel. In my interpretation, we’re encouraged to, actually. The rule that you’re referring to is that Jedi aren’t allowed to form attachments that would result in the Jedi risking everything, hundreds of lives for this one attachment. That’s the idea at least.’

Din felt a complicated rush of feelings flow through him. 

‘So you’re not allowed to love? Or marry?’, he asked, trying his best to squash down the feelings surging through him. 

Luke grimaced. 

‘Here’s where I’m not sure. My father was married, and that ultimately didn’t destroy all the good in him. A lot of people will interpret his relationship to my mother as the reason he fell to the dark side, but I disagree. It wasn’t his love for my mother that drove him to commit atrocities. It was the influence of Darth Sidious’s selfishness, his deception. My father’s love for my mother made him vulnerable to deception but it also made him strong. My first Master, Obi-Wan wasn’t loveless either and he was one of the best Jedi to ever live. If you want to know my interpretation, I think Jedi as a whole are encouraged to love. We must love and care where others do not, since it is a Jedi’s duty to protect those who cannot protect themselves.’

Luke was quiet for a while longer. 

‘It seems very confusing, honestly’, Din said. 

Luke nodded. 

‘It is. The old ways were very strict and I believe that was a weakness exploited by the emperor to overthrow them. I do not have the resources that the Jedi of the old order had, so I can never truly be sure, but I believe that seeing things so black and white is- not entirely accurate in such a nuanced galaxy.’

Din nodded. That at least he could relate to. In his experience, things were rarely as simple as black and white. 

‘So what do you think you’re supposed to do?’, Din asked, unsure why he was so interested in the topic. It seemed important to him to hear Luke’s opinions, to understand his thought processes. 

‘What I think we aren’t allowed to do is to love selfishly and possessively. I should never place one person’s life over hundreds of others. I should never love someone so much that I would disregard my morals and the Jedi Code in order to make them happy. And regardless of my feelings towards someone, I should never allow the dark side to deceive me. I must remain level-headed and understand that my feelings may be irrational and that people may seek to exploit them. That does not mean that I shouldn’t love or that I am not allowed to marry, if I wish to. I think recognizing that your feelings are a part of you is vital. Repressing them is counterproductive and will lead you to be vulnerable to deception and hatred. I need to acknowledge that I am feeling anger or pain or love or fear. But then I need to realise that I am not controlled by my feelings, as much as I don’t control them. I haven’t mastered this yet, but I think I must make my decisions based on unselfish, non-possessive love. For me at least that’s what it means to be a Jedi.’

Luke trailed off, absentmindedly scratching at some dirt residue on his right hand, while Din let his words sink in. 

‘It does seem very complicated’, he said lamely. Luke nodded a bit dejectedly.

‘To be perfectly honest, I’m very unsure whether I am doing the right thing. It feels correct, but it’s so far removed from the old ways.’

Din hummed. 

‘Well, you’re a lot more spiritual and all that than I am and I honestly don’t know shit about the Jedi, but the part about caring unselfishly makes sense to me. Also, things aren’t all either good or bad and I honestly never really got the whole  _ two sides _ thing. It’s weird to think of people as inherently bad or inherently good. I think if you make good, caring choices like you do, you’re a good person. Maybe that also makes you a good Jedi’, Din said, trying his best to sound half as eloquent as Luke did. He was quite sure he was failing. 

Nevertheless, Luke turned to smile at him and placed a hand on his elbow, right between the plates of Din’s armour. 

‘That was very wise’, he said. Din felt another rush of warmth course through him. He could nearly feel Luke’s warm skin on his through the fabric on his elbow. 

‘Look who’s talking’, he grumbled. Luke laughed. 

‘Well, I’m glad at least one person thinks so. Whenever I start talking about this stuff with Han he starts making fun of me for sounding like an old man. Thank you for listening to me talk about all this, I appreciate your thoughts on it, Din.’

‘I’m sure the kids also think you’re wise’, Din mumbled, feeling his face grow hot underneath the beskar at Luke’s words. 

‘Maybe. They also think you’re much cooler than I am but I can live with that.’

Din laughed. Luke’s face reddened a bit at the sound. 

‘I will never live up to the stories Grogu told them about you and your shiny armour’, Luke continued. ‘The helmet just makes you more mysterious and cool to the kids.’

Din felt himself blush even more.

‘...my helmet makes me mysterious?’, he asked. Luke returned to scratching his right hand, now a bit more twitchy than before. 

‘Yeah. It makes you seem unknowable. Like a spy. Or someone really important that’s incognito or something. It’s very intriguing and cool. For-for the kids I mean’, Luke said, clearing his throat. 

Din felt his face burn. He opened his mouth to answer, but he couldn’t think of anything to say that wouldn’t make him sound like a complete dumbass. 

‘Oh good, we’re here’, Luke said, his ears flaming red, apparently as eager to change the topic as Din was.

They had arrived at a large stretch of sand. In the middle of it, a small spacecraft was resting. 

‘Why didn’t the grub just… eat it. Don’t they like metal?’

‘They do. But they despise sand. It’s coarse and rough and gets everywhere and sticks to their teeth and their tongue’, Luke answered. ‘Come on, I’m ready for a kriffing shower.’

‘Dank farrik, you actually said it’, Din teased. 

‘Oh come on, I was a pilot in the Rebellion. You pick up a few things’, Luke said, unable to hide the smile in his voice. 

‘Esteemed Jedi Master Luke Skywalker  _ swore _ ’, Din repeated. 

‘You didn’t even know I was me a few days ago’, Luke shot back, a grin on his face.He put a hand on Din’s lower arm and started to pull him towards the spaceship. 

‘Well you jumped into a grub’s mouth to get your lightsaber back’, Din said, letting himself be dragged along. 

‘Ahh, but Grogu told me you did the exact same thing with the Krayt Dragon. You have no room to judge me for stupid ideas to kill giant lizard-like things.’

‘...fair’, Din conceded as they finally entered the spaceship.

Luke immediately headed towards the back to find the tiny shower compartment and a change of clothes, telling Din to help himself to food. 

‘I’ll be a while, but I’ll knock before I’ll head into the room so you can eat in peace’, Luke said, just before slipping out of the room. 

Frankly exhausted from the day-long trek to the ship and the unfortunate encounter with the grub, Din took off his helmet, had a few bars of the rations on the ship and had a short look around. When Luke finally knocked on the cockpit doors, he’d already put his helmet back on. 

‘You’re done, I see’, Luke said, now clean and his hair wet and dripping down onto his dark robes. Din tried not to stare at the droplet of water running down Luke’s cheek, over his lips and down his throat. He failed quite miserably. Luke, who thankfully seemed oblivious, was sitting down in the pilot seat in the small cockpit. The entire ship was smaller than the Razor Crest used to be and it looked quite simple. 

‘What happened to your X-Wing?’, Din asked. 

‘I have it hidden on an uninhabited moon nearby. But that’s usually too small to get supplies with. And I don’t want to be perceived as anyone important when landing on this planet. This ship is perfect. It’s simple and it doesn’t draw as much attention as a rebel fighter would’, Luke explained, switching on the controls and closing the ship hatch. Din hummed in acknowledgement. 

‘Could you check the hyperdrive?’, Luke asked, pointing to a set of buttons next to Din. 

‘It seems to be fine, all readings normal’, Din answered after quickly scrutinizing the display. 

‘Alright. Are you ready for our little shopping trip, then?’

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks so much for reading, let me know what you thought!   
> i took a few liberties with luke's characterization because i have a lot of thoughts™️ on the jedi and such. this is of course just my interpretation, and i would love to hear your take on jediness and all that!   
> if you want to talk to me or yell at me about mando or star wars or clone wars (which im watching for the first time, i know im late to the party shhhh), my tumblr is @lulumonnie


	6. Flight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Luke and Din make their way to the nearest space station

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi everyone! today's chapter is a bit on the shorter side, but i still think it's right to divide this up like this!  
> fair warning: i dont know shit about space or space travel and the only thing i can come up with is scifi technical mumbo jumbo so if there are any inaccuracies, please ignore them sdfsdfsdfs  
> i hope yall enjoy!

Luke’s flying was… experimental to say the least. As soon as the Jedi had punched in the coordinates that his blue heap of metal had calculated, Luke started the ship, taking off at almost breakneck speed. Din thought he could see a strange glint in Luke’s eyes, as if he was enjoying himself immensely. 

‘I do miss flying, I have to say’, Luke said, grinning. ‘There’s nothing quite like flying, is there, Din?’

Din, who was sneakily holding on to the seat underneath him mumbled his agreement. 

‘You seem a bit tense, Mr. The Mandalorian’, Luke teased, turning towards Din to smirk at him. 

‘What are you doing? Don’t look at me while you’re not out of the atmosphere yet’, Din said, feeling a trickle of anxiety flow through him. 

‘Din, I’m a Jedi and an accomplished pilot. You have nothing to worry about’, Luke said, still holding eye contact. He seemed to be enjoying himself a lot. Din didn’t know why he failed to find that problematic. 

‘I thought Jedi weren’t supposed to be reckless’, Din grumbled, looking outside to check if their course was holding. It was. Luke’s flying was steady without him even having to look at any controls. 

‘There is a difference between recklessness and fun’, Luke said, still smirking. ‘Don’t worry Mr. Grogu’s Dad, you’re in safe hands. Or hand, in my case.’

Din felt a surge of electrifying warmth course through him at Luke’s cockiness. Luke’s sarcastic commentary shouldn’t be attractive, but the Jedi somehow made it so. 

‘Hand?’, Din asked, clearing his suddenly dry throat, eager to change the subject so he could stop his mind from wandering too far into what Luke’s attractiveness meant. 

‘Oh. Yes. I technically only have one hand. The other one got cut off. This is a prosthetic’, Luke explained, waving his right hand. 

‘Oh.’, Din said, somewhat lamely. Luke chuckled. 

‘Now, Mr. The Mandalorian. What do you think of my flying?’, Luke asked, the kriffing smirk back on his face. Din was thankful that he was sitting down, since his knees felt a bit weak for some reason. 

‘Are you going to call me that from now on?’

‘Maybe. It’s cute when Nava calls you that. You’re dodging the question, my friend’, Luke answered, glancing to the control board in front of him, switching some levers.

‘Hm’, Din said, finally looking back out into the darkness of space. Luke’s course was still steady. ‘It’s… fine. Good. Yes.’

‘You do know Jedi can detect when you’re hiding something, right?’, Luke said, his voice amused. Din snapped his head back towards Luke.  _ He wouldn’t,  _ Din thought. Luke grinned at him, making Din scoff. 

‘ _ Kriffing Jedi _ ’, Din mumbled. Luke laughed loudly. 

‘Din, I’m teasing. I would only use that power if I truly needed to. Not for something as petty as this.’

_ Weird _ , Din thought, but he relaxed slightly. This was more familiar territory. 

‘You can’t blame me for wanting to show off a bit. I so rarely get company on these trips, let alone good company’, Luke said, his smile warm. Din felt a bit warmer himself. 

‘Sure’, Din said, fiddling with a torn piece of his gloves. 

‘Alright, all jokes aside, we should get going on the hyperspace jumps.’

‘Jumps? Can’t we just head to the station in one jump?’, Din asked, confused. Why would Luke bother to jump multiple times? 

Luke hummed. 

‘We could. But in case we’re followed, I’d like to leave a confusing jump trajectory instead of one single jump that can easily be traced back to the children’s location.’

‘Oh. Smart’, Din said. It really was. It bugged Din slightly that he’d never really thought of it in his time evading Moff Gideon. 

Luke chuckled goodnaturedly. 

‘Why thank you. But it wasn’t my idea, Leia came up with it actually, so I can’t take the credit.’

Din hummed and the two of them set about preparing the ship for hyperspace in silence for a while. After working for a few minutes, Luke turned to Din with a slightly awkward smile on his face. 

‘Actually, Din, could you help me with something? R2 already calculated all the jumps we have to do to be relatively hard to follow, so we don’t need to do anything for a while.’

‘Sure’, Din said, finishing up his inspection of the fuel cells. ‘What’s up?’

Luke grimaced and flexed his right hand. 

‘Well, my hand isn’t responding right. I think some of the slime got in and now it’s clogging up the circuits. I’ll have to take it off but I’ll need your help getting it open to have a look at the circuits.’

Din agreed, and while the ship started jumping into hyperspace on autopilot, the two men went about removing Luke’s hand carefully and checking the circuits for any damage. 

‘This doesn’t look good’, Luke commented. ‘I had hoped that it would only be a matter of cleaning it thoroughly, but it seems like the slime damaged some of the artificial nerves too.’

‘Will you be able to get a replacement on the base?’, Din asked. 

‘I hope so’, Luke answered dejectedly. ‘I’d hate to end up in a fight without my right hand.’

‘Guess there’s nothing we can do now’, Din commented, closing up the hatch in the prosthetic and carefully reattaching it to Luke’s arm. He’d taken off his gloves minutes ago to be able to control his movements better, and as he reattached the hand, he felt the fake skin of the prosthetic under his fingers. It was a strange feeling. It felt dizzying, but only slightly so. 

When he did attach the hand to Luke’s arm, he accidentally brushed the fingers of Luke’s left hand and it felt like a bolt of lightning had just shot through him. Apart from Grogu, he couldn’t remember the last time anyone had touched his bare skin and Luke’s touch was electrifying, intoxicating, addictive. Din felt the urge to touch more of Luke’s hands. It felt slightly terrifying. It was almost like Luke could sense what he was thinking since Luke’s hand came to rest next to Din’s, their palms touching ever so slightly and the heady feeling rushed through Din again, this time amplified beyond belief. Din couldn’t look up, didn’t dare to, because he was sure that Luke would be staring into his eyes, that he would see exactly what Din was feeling. He was frozen on the spot, unable to move his hand away to break the touch, unable to take Luke’s hand, unable to pull the other into the hug he so desperately wanted to give him, unable to take off his helmet and  _ kiss _ \- 

A loud beeping from the ship signaling another hyperspace jump interrupted his thought process. His entire face was burning, his heart was racing and finally, he looked up into Luke’s blue eyes. He almost choked on his own spit. 

Luke was looking at him with stormy eyes, his expression something between excitement, fear and something akin to longing, his lips red and standing slightly open. He looked like everything Din never knew he wanted. There was something unnamable in Luke’s eyes that made Din’s heart race faster. 

What was he feeling? What was going on? Why did this Jedi, this beautiful, gorgeous, intelligent man look at him like that, and why did it make Din feel as jittery and excited as a child getting their favourite candy? What was this addictive feeling?

‘Master Skywalker. Master Skywalker, come in!’, a voice from the control panel interjected. Luke visibly twitched, resting his eyes on Din for a moment longer before turning to the panel and switching on the com link, moving his left hand away. Din felt his palms tingle, a strange ache for Luke’s touch coursing through him. He could still feel the phantom hand pressed against his.

‘This is Skywalker. What’s the problem?’

‘You hadn’t checked in before taking off, sir, Senator Organa was worried about you.’

Luke sighed. 

‘Tell Leia I’m alright. I was a bit... distracted while taking off, I forgot. We will be there in a few hours’, Luke answered. 

‘Very good, sir. We’re expecting you by the next planetary rotation.’

The beeping on the control board stopped and the com link closed down. Din felt the turmoil inside of him still working heavily. 

Luke turned back around towards him, his ears red. 

‘Thank you for. That. Helping me, I mean’, he said, clearing his throat. 

Din nodded, unable to form a coherent sentence quite yet. There were too many confusing thoughts swirling around in his head. 

‘You seem a bit tired’, Luke said, his voice gentle. ‘Why don’t you get some rest until we arrive at the station?’

‘Good idea’, Din mumbled, leaning back in his chair. ‘Wake me once we’re there.’

Luke only nodded, turning back to the controls. 

Din tried napping for a short while, but his thoughts wouldn’t let up. He wasn’t sure how to deal with feelings like the ones Luke seemed to evoke in him. 

_ Maybe it really is a force thing, _ Din thought.  _ Yes. It must be. It makes sense. Luke is the only Jedi Master I have ever met and I never had this issue before.  _

The thought soothed his agitated mind a bit. At least this explanation made more sense than any other Din could come up with. Taking a deep breath, Din closed his eyes again, ever so slowly beginning to doze off and ignoring the nagging doubt in his mind about his resolution. 

It felt like he had barely slept when he was woken up by a hand on his shoulder. 

‘Din, we’re here’, Luke’s soft voice said. Blinking, Din sat up and looked out of the ship’s large front shield. A big, bulky, orange and white space station was hovering not too far away. 

‘Sir, you are cleared for landing’, a voice from the com link informed. 

‘Thank you, Captain’, Luke said, guiding the ship into the docking platform. 

‘Well Din, we’re here. Let’s get our supplies and talk to Leia so we can head back as soon as possible’, Luke said after landing successfully. Din, who was switching of the power and the engines, nodded and the two of them headed out of the cockpit and into the hull of the space station.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks so much for reading! let me know your thoughts!  
> i may have given Luke too much of clone wars obi-wan level of flirtiness, but then again like master like student i guess. anyway young obi-wan lives rent free in my brain so i cant be held accountable for him influencing some of my writing here and there.  
> if you wanna follow me, as always my tumblr is @mandalourian, feel free to scream at me about star wars!!


	7. Many Meetings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Luke and Din arrive at the Space Station.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi everyone! i hope yall enjoy this chapter  
> also, i was a bit bored earlier so i drew something, so now this fic has [art](https://lulumonnie.tumblr.com/post/638762118953517056/hi-uhh-i-drew-some-art-for-my-dinluke-fic-the)

Din was accustomed to feeling out of place. People either saw him as a closed-off Mandalorian or as a ruthless bounty hunter. He supposed that both of those impressions wouldn’t be too far off the mark after all, if it hadn’t been for his recent change in heart ever since he met Grogu. Regardless of that, since he didn’t allow himself to show this relatively new side to anyone but those he trusted, most people still avoided him. Consequently, he rarely felt like he fit in anywhere. Usually, that wasn’t an issue. It was helpful to seem intimidating when hunting some criminal after all. 

But he hadn’t been prepared for how completely and utterly out of place he felt on the space station. As soon as Luke and he left the ship, Luke was crowded by a few republic officers in orange and white space suits, asking him questions and staring at him in awe and admiration. They either didn’t spare Din a second glance or actively inched away from him. 

Luke put on a warm but somewhat distant smile and answered all the officer’s questions. He also seemed to feel slightly uncomfortable. Din could see him scratch his right hand a bit jerkily. 

‘Thank you everyone, but I really have to go meet with Senator Organa’, Luke said after the officers had bombarded him with more questions about the Jedi, piloting and what he thought the best way of rising through the ranks was. ‘Din, come on’, he said, shooting him a glance that signalled fond exasperation. 

‘Sir, we can’t let an unidentified person on board like that’, one of the officers said, finally throwing a glance at Din. Luke’s brow twitched slightly. 

‘We’ll have to do a background scan, sir, for safety reasons’, the officer continued. 

‘He’s with me, isn’t that enough?’, Luke asked, frowning. 

‘No sir, protocol states-’

‘He is. With me.’, Luke repeated, moving towards Din and putting a firm hand on his biceps. Din felt a spark of electricity run through him. 

‘But sir, we can’t just let a masked-’

‘Yes you can. You all just ignored protocol to leave your stations and talk to me. I would trust this man with my life. He’s with me’, Luke said, his voice scarily steady. Din could hardly hear anything over the blood pounding in his ears at Luke’s admission. 

The officers fell silent and finally nodded dejectedly. 

‘I meant no offense, sir’, one of them said. 

‘None taken. Carry on, I know my way to the bridge’, Luke said, his hand still resting on Din’s arm and pulling him along. 

The two of them walked in silence for a few moments, Luke steadily looking ahead and Din trying his best to gather his thoughts. 

‘I’m sorry about that just now’, Luke finally said. 

‘Why? You didn’t do anything wrong.’

‘Yes, I just… I don’t want to come on too strong. We’ve only really known each other for a few days after all…’, Luke trailed off, the tips of his ears turning red. 

Din hummed. 

‘True, but, well… for what it’s worth… I would also trust you with my life’, he admitted, clearing his throat. 

Luke stopped in his tracks and whipped his head around to face Din. The look in his eyes reminded Din of what had happened on the ship only a few hours ago. 

‘You would?’, Luke whispered. 

Din nodded, strangely finding this to be true. It seemed only natural to trust Luke. His usual wary nature didn’t apply to the other for some reason. Funnily enough, it wasn’t even the strange, yet unnamed feelings Din had for Luke that made him trust the Jedi. No, it was something deeper, more… profound than getting flustered by touch. Din knew deep down that Luke Skywalker was trustworthy, that he was a good and just man. There was some sort of unwavering faith that Din had in Luke. He didn’t know where exactly it came from, but it felt completely natural. It felt  _ right _ to trust Luke like this. 

‘If I trust you with Grogu’s life, I’ll of course trust you with mine too’, Din said. Luke’s face was a complex mix of emotions. There was some form of relief, a bit of longing and something that Din couldn’t decipher in Luke’s blue eyes. 

‘Din’, Luke whispered, stepping a bit closer. His face was now only about ten inches away from Din’s helmet. Din felt his heart pound in his chest. 

‘Can I give you a hug?’, Luke asked, his voice barely audible in the quiet corridor. 

Din couldn’t speak, he could only nod. 

And suddenly, he was engulfed in Luke’s firm arms and he immediately felt his knees grow weak. He melted into Luke’s embrace, feeling the strength in the shorter’s stature. Luke had buried his face in the nook between Din’s helmet and his shoulder guard. Even through the thick fabric, Din could feel Luke’s warm breath on his skin. Goosebumps formed all the way down his arm. He could feel Luke against him, could feel that the other was there and real and  _ alive _ and it felt like flying, it felt like falling, it felt addictive and beautiful and euphoric. 

Din wasn’t sure if it was because no one ever really hugged him or if it was because he was in Luke’s arms, but he didn’t want to let go. He couldn’t bring himself to, not when Luke was so present against him, not when he could feel his breath, not when he could hear Luke giggle into his neck. 

‘What?’, he asked, his voice scratchier than he’d expected. 

‘Nothing. I just wanted to do that for a while now’, Luke said. This sent Din into another spiral of confusing feelings.  _ He wanted to do this. He’s thought about this. He thinks about me, _ a voice in Din’s head said. For some reason, that thought seemed to make Din’s knees even shakier. 

‘You can do it- I mean you don’t have to ask in the future’, Din said, completely surprised at his own courage. 

‘That’s a dangerous thing to say, Mr. The Mandalorian’, Luke said. Din could feel Luke chuckle and shake against him. ‘I will remember that.’

‘Do’, Din answered. 

Somewhere along the corridor, a door opened and suddenly Luke seemed to remember that they had somewhere to be. With a last firm squeeze he drew back. He let his arms rest around Din for a few moments, leaning back to look into Din’s eyes, or rather his visor. He didn’t say anything, but his face was slightly pink and his eyes were bright, his pupils blown wide. Luke’s smile in that instance was burned into Din’s memory forever.

‘Come on, we should head to the bridge’, Luke said, his voice still quiet, maybe a bit higher than usual. He finally drew his arms back and Din could feel his entire body ache for his touch again. 

‘Yeah’, he answered, following Luke down the corridor. Luke rested his folded hands on his straightened back, the lightsaber dangling on his belt. He looked every inch the Jedi he was. 

After a few more corridors, these less deserted than the one they’d just come from, they finally arrived on the bridge. It was filled with people in orange and white uniforms sitting and standing around controls, discussing various star charts, comparing notes and talking to people on different holopads. In the middle of the room two people were standing, seemingly in deep discussion. One of them was an officer, clad in a higher ranking uniform and the other was a woman, seemingly about Luke’s age. She had long brown hair put up into an intricate bun on top of her head. She was wearing a white and brown uniform with a long, grey cloak similar to Luke’s. 

‘Leia!’, Luke called out. The woman turned around and Din realised that this was Leia Organa, Luke’s twin sister. 

‘Luke. I was beginning to think you were never going to turn up’, she said, a smirk that seemed very familiar to Din on her face. The twins didn’t really look all that similar, but when they smirked, the family resemblance was uncanny. 

‘I would never pass up an opportunity to see my dear sister’, Luke said, pulling Leia into a short hug. 

‘...sure. You’ve brought him along, I see’, Leia said, turning towards Din. Luke nodded, his ears flushing. 

‘Yes. Sorry, I should’ve introduced you two. Din, this is my sister, Leia. Leia, this is my- my friend, the Mandalorian.’

Leia nodded to Din. 

‘It’s good to meet you, Din. Luke has told me a lot about you’, she said, her gaze flitting between Luke and Din, an inscrutable expression on her face. 

‘Ahh, only good things, I promise’, Luke interjected, his ears burning. 

‘Good to meet you too, senator’, Din said, shooting Luke a confused glance underneath the helmet. 

‘Alright, now that we’ve got the pleasantries out of the way, we need to talk’, Luke said, clearing his throat and avoiding both Din’s and Leia’s gaze. 

Leia, who was wearing a knowing grin, nodded. 

‘There’s some disturbing news we need to decide how to handle’, she said, leading the two towards the large circular map terminal in the middle of the bridge. Luke shot Din a look out of the corner of his eyes and blushed a bit more. Din privately thought that it was quite a pretty sight.

‘You said R2 picked up a message?’, Leia said, pushing a few buttons and projecting a star chart, complete with planets into the air in front of them. 

‘Yes. About Phindar and the remnants of the Empire there attacking our ships’, Luke explained. Leia nodded. 

‘That’s about the gist of it. The problem here is that Phindar is currently facing a humanitarian crisis. They’ve been hit by a meteor which completely destroyed their harvest for the next few years. The people are starving and none of our relief vessels have been able to get through, because they keep getting destroyed’, Leia said, a frown on her face. 

‘I don’t know what they’re planning, but it must be something more than just keeping humanitarian aid from the planet. It’s too deliberate’, Luke said, crossing his arms. Din nodded. 

‘The remnants of the Empire are usually looking for some way to regain power. Ammunition, followers, workers, something like that’, Din commented. 

‘You’re right. Which is why this is especially troubling. The planet used to be a base for fuel facilities of the Empire. If they regain it completely, the planet could become a stronghold for fuel and resources for the entire system. If we want to hold the Outer Rim, we can’t let the Mandalore Sector fall’, Leia added, pointing to some places on the star chart in front of them. 

‘We need to figure out what they’re doing on Phindar’, Luke said, leaning onto the terminal. 

‘Before we mount a full-scale attack, we need to know what we’re up against. We can do some scouting before we head home?’, Luke asked, turning to Din, who nodded. 

Leia smiled at her brother and then at Din. 

‘Thank you. Both of you. I’ll oversee that you get all the supplies you need for the next few months while you’re away. I would come along, but I’m afraid I’m rather caught up in rebuilding a fair and just democracy.’

‘I know, I know. Just get us enough supplies for the next few months and it’ll be fine’, Luke said, smirking at his sister. 

‘I will. I’ll also lend you another shuttle. You’d better return that one in one piece, Luke’, Leia said, shooting him a fond glare.

‘No promises’, Luke said. 

‘You’re as bad as Han.’

‘Ouch. I resent that remark’, Luke answered, mock offense in his voice. ‘But speaking of breaking things…’

‘What did you do?’, Leia asked, raising an eyebrow. 

‘Well…’

‘He jumped into a leviathan grub’s mouth’, Din interjected. Luke shot him a dirty look. 

‘You did  _ what?’, _ Leia asked, appalled. 

‘In my defense, it ate my lightsaber!’

‘And your best idea was to  _ let it eat you too??’ _

Luke sighed. 

‘I’m fine, my lightsaber is fine, and the monster is dead’, he said. 

‘But you broke something’, Leia answered. 

‘...my hand is malfunctioning’, Luke admitted. Leia put her face in her hands. 

‘Go to the station doctor later. And try not to break this one, alright?’

Luke nodded, gratefully. 

‘Alright, now go. Get some rest, both of you. Luke, you know where to go, right?’, Leia said, already turning back to the star chart in front of her. 

‘Sure do. See you tomorrow, sis’, Luke said and motioned for Din to follow him. 

‘See you both tomorrow’, Leia said, her attention already focussed on something else. 

‘Bye’, Din said, feeling a bit lame. Luke led him away from the bridge and down a few levels until they were standing in front of a door.

‘I’m afraid we’ll have to share a room, the station is a bit packed’, Luke explained while putting in a passcode. ‘Is that alright? I can ask Leia if I can use the spare bed in her room if you would like.’

‘It’s fine’, Din answered. The door opened onto simple quarters, with two cots on either side of the room. 

‘Well. Here we are then’, Luke said, stepping into the room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks so much for reading, let me know what you thought!   
> id say sorry for all the slow pining, but honestly im really not. a slow burn is a slow burn after all.


	8. Rest

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Luke and Din get some much-needed rest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi yall! i hope you enjoy this chapter!!!

‘Are you sure you’re fine with sharing?’, Luke asked again, as soon as the two of them had entered the room. ‘I’m sure it’s not very comfortable to sleep with the helmet on.’

‘I’m used to it’, Din answered. 

‘Oh. Okay. Well, I’ll head to the medical officers after we’ve gotten some sleep. You barely dozed for like an hour earlier, so I’m guessing you’re also exhausted?’

Din hummed in agreement. 

‘Well, then let’s head to sleep. I can give you a bit of space to freshen up if you’d like to. Just take the bathroom and I’ll wait out here, if that’s okay?’, Luke asked, his ears turning slightly pink for some reason. 

‘Thank you’, Din said, heading to the bathroom to take off his armour. He removed the helmet to splash some water into his face and put his helmet back on. When he stepped back out of the bathroom, he saw that Luke had taken off his black boots and put his long black cloak to the side. He was fiddling with his right hand and his head shot up when Din entered the room again. 

‘Oh, you’re done! Wow, I am not used to seeing you without armour. Well, I guess it would be very uncomfortable to sleep like that…’, Luke trailed off, his eyes running over the simple long undershirt and trousers Din was wearing. He seemed to stop somewhere around Din’s chest and his ears turned even brighter red. 

‘I’ll get changed too then’, Luke said, quickly getting off from where he had been leaning against one of the cots and heading into the bathroom. 

_ What’s up with him, _ Din thought. Luke seemed a bit… distracted? Din wasn’t entirely sure what the expression on Luke’s face signified, but he let it slide. 

He set down his armour on a small stool next to the other cot, resting his dark saber and his blaster underneath his pillow. 

Luke spent a bit longer in the bathroom but when he finally stepped out he was wearing a loose black shirt that slightly hung off of his shoulder and soft dark grey pants. Din felt his heart stop for a second. How Luke managed to make any and all outfits he ever wore attractive was beyond Din. Luke looked absolutely beautiful as he sat down with crossed legs on the other cot and looked over to Din, who was still sitting. He’d started twirling around his dark saber a while ago. 

‘Din, can I- can I ask you about that saber? It kind of looks like a lightsaber, but also not really’, Luke said, scooting forward a bit. The room wasn’t very big, and Luke’s cot was just a few metres away from Din’s. 

‘It’s a darksaber’, Din explained. ‘It’s kind of a… long story. Whoever wields this saber is supposedly the ruler of Mandalore.’

Luke choked on his spit. 

_ ‘You’re the ruler of Mandalore?’, _ he asked, incredulously. 

‘Technically, yes. At least I think so. The specifics aren’t very clear. I don’t really know whether I want to be, to be honest. When you took Grogu on that ship… do you remember the two other Mandalorians there?’

Luke nodded, still absolutely gobsmacked. 

‘Well one of them is Bo-Katan. She is, well I guess she  _ was _ the ruler of Mandalore before. She had the darksaber and Moff Gideon somehow defeated her and took it. I didn’t know anything about it so when I went to save Grogu with everyone you saw on that bridge I defeated Moff Gideon so I could take Grogu away and with that I guess I accidentally… well, yeah’, Din finished. 

‘You accidentally acquired the rulership of Mandalore’, Luke said. ‘As you do.’

Din snorted. 

‘I guess that’s technically what happened.’

Luke laughed. It was somehow one of the prettiest sounds Din had ever heard. 

‘I can’t believe all this time I’ve been talking to royalty’, he said. 

‘Ahh, I’m not royalty’, Din said, feeling himself flush. Luke smiled at him. 

‘In all seriousness Din, I believe you would be a good ruler’, Luke said earnestly. 

Din scoffed. 

‘I don’t think a foundling bounty hunter with a green Jedi child is exactly what Mandalore needs.’

‘It would be quite a change, wouldn’t it’, Luke said, a soft smile on his face. He hesitated for a moment and then got up and walked over to Din, sitting down next to him on the bed. Their shoulders were nearly touching and the proximity of Luke’s bare shoulder made thinking very hard for Din. 

‘Din, you are a good man. I believe you would be a good ruler. But I also understand that you might not want to rule. I also can’t completely rule out that my opinion might be very biased, but I think everyone who’s ever seen you play with Grogu or talk to Nava would agree that you are a good and caring man. There’s not enough people in leading positions who can claim to have those qualities’, Luke said. 

‘Thank you. But I like being on the sidelines of the galaxy’, Din answered. He staunchly ignored how hard his heart was beating at Luke’s honest compliments. 

‘Very understandable, honestly’, Luke said with a slight chuckle. ‘The galaxy is big and complicated and politics is hard. Leia has to give me crash courses on the new developments every few weeks so I don’t lose track of what’s going on.’

Din chuckled lowly, feeling Luke’s gaze on him. He hesitated for a few moments and then opened his mouth to voice thoughts that had been swirling around in his head for months, ever since that day on that damn ship.

‘Luke, I- I don’t really know what to do here. Is it the right choice to let Bo-Katan defeat me in battle? Or should I become the new leader of Mandalore? I’ve never even  _ been  _ to Mandalore, dank farrik, how should I even rule it?’, Din asked, staring at his hands. Luke was quiet for a few moments, inching a bit closer until their arms were pressed against each other. Din felt his knees grow weak again. There were only a few layers of cloth between them and he could feel the warmth that Luke was radiating. It felt intoxicating. Pressing a bit closer, Luke hummed thoughtfully. 

‘I can’t tell you the right answer here; in the end it has to be your decision. What I can do is to tell you my thoughts. You already know that I think of you very highly, so I do believe you could be a good ruler. But I think what you need to ask yourself is what  _ you  _ want. What do you want out of your life? Do you want to be free to travel the stars and go wherever you please? Do you want to rule, do you want to control where Mandalore is headed? Is it neither of the two? What do you want from life, Din?’, Luke asked. 

_ Grogu. You. Cara. Griff, maybe. _ Din thought, surprised at how quickly his mind supplied him with the answer. 

‘There’s people that I want in my life, but I don’t know if that’s what you mean’, he said, his voice a bit shaky. 

‘It’s part of it. Could you still have those people in your life if you became a ruler?’, Luke asked. ‘You don’t have to answer me. Just… think about it?’

Din nodded. His shoulders slumped a bit. 

‘It’s a very difficult decision to make, Din. Don’t blame yourself for taking a bit longer.’

Din nodded, slumping a bit more against the firmness of Luke’s arm next to him. 

‘Thank you’, he said, his voice no more than a whisper. 

Luke smiled at him. He looked a bit sleepy. 

‘Of course. Actually, if you want to…’, Luke trailed off, his ears burning again. He stifled a yawn. 

‘If you would like to… we could train together? Lightsaber against a darksaber?’

Din tried to imagine fighting Luke and his brain immediately conjured up a picture of Luke, slightly sweaty and grinning at him, his lightsaber in his hands. Din had to take a deep breath to stop himself from cursing under his breath. 

‘Yes that- yes. I would like that’, he answered, trying his best to mask how gruff his voice sounded. He wasn’t entirely sure what he’d just signed up for. 

Luke smiled brightly, but his eyes started to droop even more. 

‘That would be… great’, he said, his voice getting more and more silent with each breath. He struggled to keep his eyes open for a few more seconds until finally they closed and his head dipped forward to rest on Din’s shoulder. Luke was fast asleep. 

Din was suddenly wide awake. Luke was sleeping on his shoulder. Luke kriffing Skywalker, the hero of the Rebellion and a kriffing Jedi Master was asleep on his shoulder. Luke looked so at peace, his features relaxed and happy and beautiful and Din had no clue how to handle this situation. Luke’s relaxed face made him seem so much younger, he looked so much less like a seasoned Jedi Master. He looked serene and peaceful and Din’s heart ached at the sight. He wanted Luke to look and feel this happy every single day. A fierce desire to make Luke happy curled in his gut as he watched the sleeping man. 

‘Nuhoy pirusti’, he whispered to Luke. Din wasn’t sure if he was imagining it or not, but Luke’s mouth seemed to twitch upwards as he nestled further into Din’s shoulder, an arm coming up to wrap around Din’s. The two of them were intertwined now and Din could feel Luke’s bare skin against his own fabric clothes. 

_ There’s no way I’m getting him off of me, is there,  _ Din thought with a sort of giddy excitement as fondness rushed through him. Gently, making sure that he wouldn’t wake Luke, he maneuvered them both until they were lying on their backs, just barely fitting into Din’s small cot. Din could feel all of Luke’s side pressed up against him, Luke’s head now resting on Din’s chest, just slightly above his heart that was still thundering. 

Din wasn’t able to sleep for a while, mostly because he couldn’t stop himself from imagining how it must feel to go to sleep like this every day. Absent-mindedly and caught in a fantasy where this wasn’t a freak one-time occurrence because of Luke’s tiredness, he put his arm around Luke’s sleeping form, his bare hands brushing over the fabric of Luke’s shirt. It felt like he was cradling something incredibly precious in his arms. It felt about as right and relaxing as falling asleep with Grogu in his arms. It also felt distinctly different, but Din thought that was to be expected. There were quite a few differences between Grogu and Luke.

_ Maybe Jedi are just natural anti-anxiety sleeping pills or something, _ Din mused.  _ They’re weird enough for that to be a thing.  _

In fact, Luke’s presence in Din’s arms soothed him, making his racing heart calm down slowly but surely and he felt himself drift off into a peaceful sleep, his hand ending up twirled into Luke’s soft, beautiful hair lightly. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks so much for reading, let me know what you thought!  
> the mando'a that din says to luke means 'sleep well' (at least according to the translator i found online, i sadly cant speak mando'a)  
> i just had to make the best use of the 'and they have to share a room' trope, im simple like that. id love to hear your thoughts on the whole ruler of mandalore situation because i think it's very interesting and i really cant tell where exactly the whole thing is going and what din will choose in the show.  
> as always if you want to talk to me or listen to me ramble about how much i love obi-wan, luke and din my tumblr is @mandalourian


	9. Morning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Din and Luke make their way to Phindar to do some scouting.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hiii!! i hope yall enjoy!

Din woke up to something on his chest shifting around. He opened his eyes, half expecting Grogu to be sitting on his helmet or something, waving at him through the visor. That had happened quite a few times and it always made Din’s heart clench with warmth and affection. There wasn’t anything like being woken by his son’s happy garbling as he tried to uncover Din’s face. 

This time however, it wasn’t Grogu playing around with Din’s helmet. It was Luke, who was still half asleep. During the night the two of them had apparently managed to become so entangled that it took Din a while to figure out which limbs actually belonged to him and which were Luke’s. 

Luke’s head was still resting on Din’s chest, right above his heart. He’d also placed an arm across Din’s torso that added a comfortable weight. Din felt the other’s warmth like a blanket around him and he couldn’t remember the last time he’d slept this well except perhaps the day he and Grogu had finally reunited. He didn’t want to ponder what exactly that meant.  _ Must be Jedi shit, _ he thought, ignoring the nagging voice in his head that told him he couldn’t explain everything away with  _ Jedi shit. _

‘Hrgrmnpf’, Luke said, burying his face further in Din’s chest. Din felt his heart skip a beat and he let out a soft gasp.

Luke suddenly froze. 

‘I’m guessing this isn’t my pillow, huh?’, he asked. 

‘Nope’, Din answered with amusement in his voice. 

‘...I really don’t know how to respond to this’, Luke admitted. Din suppressed a chuckle. His own face was burning bright red, but Luke didn’t need to know that. 

‘I don’t mind’, he said. Luke relaxed a bit in his arms. 

‘I mean… I don’t… either. I haven’t slept this well in… a while. You’re comfortable’, Luke mumbled. His ears were the only thing visible to Din from under the mop of hair. They were bright red. 

‘Feeling’s mutual’, Din said, clearing his throat. 

Luke finally moved his head from where he had buried it. He turned his face towards Din, resting his ear on Din’s chest. The elder had a short moment of fear that Luke would be able to hear his racing heart but quickly realised that the other had probably already felt it and was just too nice to say anything about it. Luke’s hair was an absolute mess. Din still had a few fingers loosely twirled into it and he reveled in its softness. The long, sandy streaks were falling into his eyes and sticking into the air in the most kriffing adorable way. Din’s gaze slid down a bit until he locked eyes with Luke through his helmet, He had to stop himself from gasping. Luke smiled with such open emotion in his eyes that he took Din’s breath away. There may not have been a flaming ball of gas illuminating the room, but Din felt like he had just seen the most beautiful sunrise in his life. 

‘Good morning, Din’, Luke whispered. His voice was gruff. Din wondered whether he always sounded like this in the mornings. He wanted to find out. 

‘Good morning, Luke’, he replied. 

Luke’s smile turned even more blinding. 

‘No wonder Grogu always insists on sleeping in your room. You’re like a human furnace’, Luke commented, not moving from his place on Din’s chest. 

‘Apparently Jedi are anti-anxiety pills or something’, Din said under his breath. He wasn’t sure if Luke caught it, but he could see the other’s lips twitch upwards. 

‘I am sorry for falling asleep on you yesterday’, Luke said, his face returning to a more serious expression. ‘I guess I was more exhausted than I had realised.’

‘It’s fine.’

For a short while, both of them were silent. There was a feeling of tranquility spread over the little cot, not broken by any outside sounds. It was just the two of them, Luke and Din, in a bed that was far too small to house two grown men. In here, they weren’t Master Skywalker and the Mandalorian, they were just two… friends? Partners? Din couldn’t find the right words quite yet, but he guessed the best way to describe them would just be  _ Luke and Din. _

But of course, in a galaxy like theirs, moments of tranquility were short and few and far between. A noise from outside disturbed the peaceful atmosphere. A loud gong echoed through the hallway outside of Luke’s quarters. 

Luke groaned.

‘I forgot how much I hate that’, he grumbled. ‘They always insist on using the most unpleasant alarm for shift changes.’

Din hummed in agreement. He didn’t really want to move. Luke seemed reluctant as well, but after a few moments, he started to untangle himself from Din with a regretful sigh. 

‘I’ll get dressed and run down to the med bay real quick’, he explained, climbing out of the cot. ‘I’ll leave you the room to change and put on your armour and stuff. After that we’d better head off to Phindar.’

Din slowly sat up. He watched as Luke disappeared into the bathroom only to reappear in his familiar black outfit, the lightsaber strapped to his waist. With a nod and a smile, Luke headed out of the room, leaving Din with a strange emptiness in his heart. He could still feel the warmth of the other’s touch but it was fading slowly and Din found he didn’t want it to.  _ If it were possible, I wouldn’t mind always touching Luke, _ he thought. Then, he immediately started reprimanding himself for his strange thoughts.  _ You’re beginning to be as weird as the Jedi,  _ he thought. 

In the time that Luke took to head to the med bay, Din pulled himself out of bed, put on his clothes and his armour and packed a small backpack full of supplies. He hung his blaster and his saber on their respective hooks on his belt and fastened both the jetpack and the spear on his back. Luke walked back into the room when he was just finishing up.

‘Ah you’re already packed!’, Luke said, waving at him with his right hand. ‘See! They fixed it, it’s as good as new.’

To demonstrate he wiggled his fingers around a bit. 

‘Good’, Din said. 

‘Ah, I forgot’, Luke said, heading towards his own cot. ‘We should both take something to throw over our outfits. We are supposed to be merchants.’

He quickly rummaged through a closet next to the door and pulled out a sandy brown poncho that he put on over his dark clothes. He immediately looked less like Jedi Master and more like a lost farm boy who liked the colour black a bit too much. 

‘I have another one if you’d like to borrow it?’, Luke asked, holding out a similar poncho in grey. 

‘...do I have to?’, Din asked. 

Luke laughed. 

‘It does ruin your whole look a bit, doesn’t it. Take it with you, just in case.’

With that, the two of them headed out of the room and towards the hangar. Leia was waiting for them, checking something on a display in front of her. 

‘Ah, good to see you both. I hope you rested up well. I’m afraid I have to leave you guys pretty quickly, Han managed to get himself into something again and I need to do some damage control’, she said, with a fondly exasperated look on her face. 

‘Oh force, what did he do?’, Luke asked, loading their few belongings onto a simple merchant vessel. 

‘All you need to know is that it involves Javas and porgs.’

Luke raised an eyebrow at Din, who just shrugged. 

‘I better hope he didn’t kill any porgs’, Luke grumbled. Leia looked pained. 

‘Alright, I don’t want to know’, Luke said. ‘We’ll be off. You deal with your porg slaying husband.’ 

Leia giggled and rolled her eyes. 

‘May the force be with you’, she said, smiling at Luke and then at Din. 

‘May the force be with you’, Luke answered. 

‘Yeah uhh. That. Thanks. You too?’, Din said, feeling a bit lost. 

Leia just chuckled and waved at both of them, heading off into the direction of the bridge. 

‘Come on, we have some scouting to do’, Luke said and the two of them climbed into the small, unassuming ship. It was about the size of Luke’s ship that they’d used to get to the base. They set down their supplies and took off, leaving the base behind them and jumping into hyperspace. Luke used the same tactic he’d used before, trying his best to confuse the trajectory of their hyperspace jumps. When they finally arrived in the Mandalore sector, a few hours had passed in companionable silence, broken by sporadic comments. 

‘Here we are’, Luke said, powering down the hyperdrive. 

‘Nothing out of the ordinary so far’, Din commented. Luke frowned. 

‘I do sense something… strange. I can’t put my finger on it yet, but maybe we’re just too far away from Phindar.’

Din hummed and went to check on the radar. 

‘Nothing coming towards us yet’, he commented. 

‘Let’s get a bit closer’, Luke said, steering the ship to head towards Phindar. The planet was still a small speck outside of the spaceship’s hull. They flew in silence for a while until Phindar was quite a bit closer. There still wasn’t any sign of anything. 

‘It’s too quiet’, Din said. Luke nodded and closed his eyes, a concentrated frown gracing his features. 

‘I can sense something like… a disturbance in the force… something feels off, but I can’t tell what it is.’

‘I thought this was just some fuel outpost, what is the force doing here?’, Din asked, confused. Luke smiled and opened his eyes again. 

‘The force is everywhere. It flows through everything. If something is not as it should be, there is a disturbance.And that’s what happened here. Something isn’t right on this planet’, Luke explained. 

‘Ashoka said something similar’, Din said. ‘It flows through every living being? Is there some weird magical thing flowing through me right now?’

Luke laughed. 

‘In a way there is. The force is all around us and it does flow through every living being. Some beings are more attuned to it and some beings have more force flowing through them than others, but there is always the force’, Luke said, sounding slightly wistful.

‘Huh’, Din said. ‘That sounds…’

‘Weird?’, Luke asked, a knowing smirk on his face. 

‘...yeah. Was that some Jedi mindtrick?’

‘No, don’t worry. Your mind is far too strong to be susceptible to that, my friend’, Luke said, patting Din’s arm.  _ Weird,  _ Din thought. 

‘Anything on the scanners?’, Luke asked, turning back to look outside into the depths of space. 

‘Nothing’, Din said after checking the control panel. 

‘Strange.’

Luke began to fly the ship closer and closer to the planet, careful to look out for enemy ships, but nothing happened. 

‘I guess we should get to landing then’, Din said. Luke nodded and together they started to slow their ship down, working in perfect unison. 

‘Engage landing sequence’, Luke said, flipping a few switches. 

‘On it’, Din said, leaning over the control panel to punch in the correct numbers when suddenly Luke gasped audibly. 

‘Dank farrik! Din, evasive maneuvers, something is coming!’

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks so much for reading, let me know what you thought!  
> im probably not going to upload tomorrow, since it's new year's eve so sorry not sorry for leaving you guys with a cliffhanger in 2020... but I guess that seems appropriate, doesn't it? as always, my tumblr is @mandalourian if you wanna follow me!


	10. Investigation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Luke and Din arrive at Phindar.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> happy new year everyone!! today's chapter is on the shorter side, but i hope you'll still enjoy!  
> please excuse any typos that i missed, it's been a day™️

Din had no idea what Luke was talking about but he’d been starting to understand enough about the Jedi to understand that whatever he had sensed was probably out to kill them. Luke started to fly the ship at breakneck speed while Din frantically tried to find whatever Luke had sensed. Nothing showed up on the scanner. 

Suddenly a red streak of laser whizzed past the cockpit. Din immediately fired up the albeit pretty weak canons, trying his best to aim at where the shots were coming from, but neither he nor the ship’s computer could pick up anything. 

‘They’re using a farricking stealth ship’, he shouted as Luke started a dangerous nose dive towards Phindar. 

‘We need to get down onto Phindar, this is our only chance to find out what they’re doing’, Luke said as Din fired a few more useless shots into the void of space. ‘Hang on tight, Din, this might get rough.’

‘Don’t worry, I’ve had my share of rough landings. Just try not to fry us alive.’

Luke laughed despite the situation. 

‘I’ll do my best’, he said, steering the ship towards the planet at an alarming pace. A few more laser shots whizzed past the cockpit, but they seemed to come from further away than before.

‘For once these kriffing missions could just be easy, you know?’, Luke grumbled, his eyes trained on the window as they broke through Phindar’s atmosphere. 

‘That’s just unrealistic’, Din countered, his gaze still trained uselessly on the path behind them. Luke sighed. 

‘Let’s find a hiding spot. Can the ship pick up on any mountains?’, Luke asked. 

‘Just lots of jungle’, Din commented. 

‘Why is it always jungles’, Luke bemoaned as he swooped down to land underneath several large trees. They wouldn’t fully hide the ship, but they would at least make it hard to find. 

‘Let’s head out. We don’t know if they’re still close and we need to find whatever the empire remnants are doing as quickly as possible’, Luke said and the two quickly packed their few belongings and headed into the ship’s small storage unit. 

‘I’m afraid we’ll have to share a speeder’, Luke said. Din could see his ears turn slightly pink. Din, who had been mentally running through possibilities of getting off Phindar without this ship in case it got blown up, felt his heart skip a beat as he was ripped out of his thoughts. 

‘Oh--- that’s, that’s fine. Great. Yes.’

Luke smiled. 

‘Would you like to steer? I’ll be able to concentrate more when I don’t have to worry about not crashing’, he asked. 

‘Sure’, Din said, but he wasn’t prepared for Luke wrapping his arms around his waist from behind him. He could feel all of Luke’s torso pressed against his back, which shouldn’t have been possible considering he was wearing thick armour and clothes. Somehow his senses seemed to be heightened if it came to Luke. 

_ Isn’t the Jedi thing being force-sensitive or something? Maybe I’m Luke-sensitive,  _ Din thought and immediately pulled a face at his own corniness. 

‘Let’s go’, Luke whispered, resting his head on Din’s broad shoulders. Din felt a shiver run down his spine. He started the speeder and they headed out of the ship deep into the jungle.

For a while, Luke was quiet and Din followed the speeder’s scanners, but couldn’t find anything. After about twenty minutes of speeding, Luke finally shifted. He pulled his arms closer around Din, making him remember the warm hug they’d shared just a day ago. Luke’s face was suddenly resting right next to his head and as he whispered into Din’s ear, Din would’ve sworn he could feel the other’s lips touch the beskar. 

‘I feel something to the south. Let’s check it out’, Luke whispered. 

Din, feeling slightly unbalanced in the most delicious way, nodded and steered his speeder towards the south. 

They travelled for a bit longer until they finally spotted a big clearing through the trees. Din stopped the speeder a good way in front of the clearing and tried not to bemoan the fact that Luke’s strong arms weren’t around his waist anymore.  _ You’ll be able to hug him again, _ a voice in Din’s head supplied. His head spun a bit with the realisation that he could just hug the Jedi if he wanted to. He shook his head to get rid of the thoughts, focussing on the mission at hand. 

Luke had already started to arrange some large jungle leaves to cover the speeder. Once he seemed satisfied with his work, he stepped back and smiled, pulling the hood of his poncho over his head. 

‘I’d suggest you put on the poncho too, it’ll make us less conspicuous’, Luke said. 

Din sighed dejectedly and pulled out the poncho. He leveled the blasted thing with a glare and put it on. Luke giggled at him. 

Once Din’s armour was sufficiently covered with this abomination (in Din’s eyes at least), the two of them snuck closer to the clearing. 

They heard whirring and the tell-tale noise of ships taking off from the clearing as they advanced. Slowly, carefully, Luke led Din closer and closer until finally they managed to get a good glimpse at the clearing. Luke gasped. 

The clearing was much larger than either of them had thought it would be. It seemed to function as some form of space port, since it was filled with ships of all sizes, all very clearly empire. Ships were taking off and landing constantly, but as soon as they had safely left the port, the air around them shimmered and they turned invisible. The nearest TIE-Fighter was being worked on by a group of stormtroopers and a person in a grey uniform. They seemed to be adding new outer casings onto the fighter. 

Luke motioned to Din to follow him closer towards the group working on the fighter. 

‘...couldn’t have picked a better job than putting these damn deflectors on ships’, one of the troopers said. 

‘Let’s just get this done with’, another trooper said, applying himself to the task at hand. ‘The general wants us to work on the cruiser next.’

‘Careful’, the person in the uniform said. ‘The  _ restian _ is still lethal if it were damaged somehow.’

Luke shot Din a look. He shrugged. He’d never even heard of whatever  _ restian _ was. 

‘We have to get closer’, Luke whispered. He pointed at a large, tall tower that was rising above the makeshift spaceport. 

‘Command center, I assume’, Din whispered back. Luke nodded. 

Carefully, making as little noise as possible, the two of them made their way towards the tower, staying behind containers and large chunks of felled tree that were still lying around. Once they had gotten to a small assortment of wood and boxes behind which they both settled down. 

‘Have you ever heard of  _ restian _ ?’, Din asked. 

‘Not that I remember’, Luke answered. ‘The log computer may have some more information. 

‘How do we get to it?’, Din asked, skeptically. 

Luke seemed to think for a few seconds. 

‘I can distract the guards with the force, but that means you’ll have to head in there and risk your life’, he said, a pained expression passing over his face. 

‘Right. Make sure you distract them well’, Din said. Luke nodded and reached out his hand, handing him a small memory stick and returning to closing his eyes with patience. Din knew Luke well enough by now to understand that this expression meant the younger was doing some Jedi shit or force mumbo jumbo. 

A loud bang could be heard coming from off in the distance as Luke’s brow furrowed more and more. 

‘Now’, he whispered and Din immediately started towards the open door of the tower. The guard was on the other side of the tower, staring at the horizon, the smoke and fire . Din just wanted to sigh in relief when suddenly a voice behind him yelled: 

‘Oi you, what are you doing?’

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks so much for reading! let me know what you thought!  
> btw, restian is something i completely made up, there's no canon basis for this, i'm just adding bits and pieces here and there.   
> i would say sorry for another cliffhanger, but then again this is the action part of the story, so you might have to deal with things like this for a bit more.


	11. Jedi Shit (Affectionate)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Din and Luke sneak into the shipyard's tower to gather some information.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi everyone! i hope you enjoy this chapter! i cant believe ive actually hit 20k with this fic, it's officially twice the length of my second longest fic to date and that's honestly just crazy.  
> there's also a lovely person translating this into Polish (im absolutely amazed??), the link to that is in the work summary!

Din froze. He turned around slowly and saw a trooper walking toward him, brandishing his blaster. 

‘What are you doing here? Where’s your identification?’, the trooper asked as soon as he came to a stop in front of Din. Din could feel his heartbeat race. He cursed himself for not thinking of a plan in which one of them was spotted. 

‘Ahh-’

‘What’s your designation?’, the man asked. Din opened his mouth to answer, even though he couldn’t think of a single thing that would help, when suddenly Luke appeared next to him. Din hadn’t seen him move from his hiding spot, it seemed like the Jedi had just popped out of thin air.  _ Jedi shit,  _ Din thought, affectionately. Luke raised his gloved hand elegantly. 

‘You do not need to see his identification’, Luke said, his voice steady and low. 

‘I-I do not need to see his identification’, the trooper answered, a sort of empty quality to his response. 

‘You will return to your post and ignore both of us’, Luke continued. The steadiness of his voice and the quiet power Luke held would have been intimidating if Din hadn’t been so utterly fascinated. Or if he hadn’t been quite so undoubtedly infatuated with the Jedi. 

‘I will return to my post and ignore both of you’, the trooper answered, turning around and walking away from him. 

‘How-’, Din started as soon as the guard was out of earshot, but Luke shook his head. 

‘Later. Let’s go inside’, he whispered, grasping Din’s arm and dragging him into the abandoned doorway. 

‘I thought you’d stay outside’, Din asked as he hurried after Luke. 

‘Well, the guard is now definitely not watching the door. And I didn’t want to take any chances. Neither of us really blend in that well.’

Din nodded and the two of them made their way to the nearest display as quickly and quietly as possible. 

‘Ah, I should’ve brought R2, this would be so much easier with him around’, Luke grumbled, leaning over the display and squinting his eyes at it. 

‘It looks like they have logs on the shipment of this  _ restian _ stuff’, he said, pointing to a few lines of shipment tracking on the bottom of the large display. 

‘What do you think  _ restian _ is?’, Din asked, nervously checking down the corridor to see whether they were truly alone. 

‘I’m not sure, my best guess is that it’s some metal that helps their ships be turned into stealth ships’, Luke said. 

‘If the empire remnants get large amounts of stealth ships that would be a problem for the New Republic’, Din said. 

‘Well, we do have some stealth ships as well, so I suppose it shouldn’t be too big of a problem’, Luke mused. 

‘Do you have cruiser class stealth ships?’, Din asked. 

Luke frowned at him. 

‘No, of course not. That’s impossible. Cruiser class ships are far too big to be covered in stealth shields.’

‘But the troopers earlier were talking about a cruiser’, Din added. Luke’s eyes flashed with alarm.

‘You’re right. Hang on, let me see if I can find a task log for this station’, he said, leaning over the display and navigating through a few menus, without success.

‘Try searching for troop rosters’, Din supplied, turning his back to Luke and keeping his eyes trained on the end of the corridor. Luke whistled under his breath. 

‘Good thinking. There’s half a battalion assigned to cruiser enhancement. There’s also a log on  _ restian _ transfer to this station.’

Din hummed in acknowledgement. 

‘It seems like they get this _ restian _ from a mining facility in the north. It seems to be a Phindarian metal. Hang on, I’ll try to see if there’s any data on it in the information retrieval’, Luke said, pulling out a small yellow data pad and whispering to it. 

‘Information on  _ restian.’ _

The data pad beeped quietly for a few seconds. 

_ ‘Restian. _ A metal only occurring on Phindar, highly explosive if in contact with carbonite. Lethal when in contact with bare skin to most species if removed from its original state of boiling lava. Used for- _ this information was redacted by authority of the Galactic Emperor’, _ the data pad supplied in a monotone, robotic voice. 

‘Dank farrik’, Luke said under his breath. 

‘They seem to be using  _ restian  _ to enhance their battleships’, Din said, still keeping a lookout. ‘If they manage to turn a cruiser into a stealth ship, the problem may become too big to handle.’

Luke nodded. 

‘Is there a record of them finishing work on a cruiser already?’, Din asked. 

Luke was quiet for a moment. 

‘No, not as far I can see. There’s only a few departures marked with completed stealth shields. This facility seems pretty new, they’ve only started shipping out finished products a month ago. It matches up with our intel on the attacks on our ships’, Luke said. He thought for a moment.

‘We need to stop that cruiser.’

‘How?’, Din asked. 

Luke seemed to ponder that for a while. 

‘If we blow up the cruiser itself, we should be able to slow down most of the production here’, Luke said. ‘That will give us enough time to return to Leia and have the New Republic mount a full attack and ensure the people on Phindar don’t suffer from this anymore.’

Din hummed. 

‘Do you think this is the reason for the crisis on Phindar?’, he asked. 

‘It’s likely. Maybe the mining disturbed the ecosystem. Whatever it is, unless the New Republic can get supplies and medicine here, the crisis won’t let up.’

Luke stayed quiet for a few moments. 

‘Hang on, let me check something’, he finally said, leaning even further over the display. He rummaged around for a few seconds. ‘I knew it. They’re using Phindarians as transport crew for the  _ restian, _ most likely without their consent. We have to be careful, we can’t harm civilians.’

‘Is there a new shipment coming in soon?’, Din asked. 

‘It says here that the last one for today just arrived… it seems like the transport crew has already returned to their ship. I think… we should only stop the cruiser from taking off for now, and report back to Leia. If we wait for nightfall, the workers will head back to their respective rooms according to the log. We’d be able to blow up the cruiser with little to no interference and hopefully without any casualties’, Luke finished off. 

‘That sounds good, but how will we make sure that the cruiser isn’t finished before night?’

‘I suppose we just have to sabotage the progress until then’, Luke said. ‘Hand me the memory stick.’

Din handed over the small piece of metal and Luke got to work with saving the data they’d just gathered. 

‘Alright’, he said shortly after. ‘Let’s sneak back outside and hide somewhere close to the cruiser. I’ll need to have a good line of sight to do effective sabotage.’

Din nodded, and just as quickly as they’d entered the tower, they left it. The guard that Luke had tricked was standing close to the door, resolutely ignoring them as they hurried past him to duck behind some boxes. 

‘Can you see the cruiser?’, Luke whispered. ‘You’re taller than me.’

Din peaked out from behind their hiding spot. It took him only a few seconds until he spotted the large, triangular shape of the cruiser at the far end of the clearing. 

‘At the other side of the clearing’, Din said. Luke nodded. 

‘Let’s head back into the woods and hurry around. No need to take risks if we don’t have to.’

The two made their way back into the woods unspotted by the busy troopers on the base. They snuck their way through the thicket around the clearing, heading towards where the cruiser was located. When they reached the far end, Luke looked around for a few seconds. 

‘There seem to be patrols heading around the clearing now and then’, he said, pointing at a well-tread path just a few meters away. ‘Let’s climb a tree. We’ll be harder to spot from up in the thick branches than down here.’

Din turned to look at Luke. 

‘Seriously?’

Luke smirked.

‘What, can’t you climb?’

‘It’s not that, I just- do you really think now is the time for climbing trees?’

Luke’s smirk turned mischievous. 

‘Sounds to me like you can’t. Watch and learn, my young padawan’, he said, stepping towards a particularly tall tree and closing his eyes. 

‘I’m not a pad-’, Din started, but suddenly Luke started jumping up the tree with such grace that Din’s retort got stuck in his throat. The Jedi was leaping up the tree with such ease and such agility, reaching a thick and sturdy branch about ten meters above ground within seconds. He swung himself over the branch elegantly and turned to look down at Din who was staring up at him with an open mouth. Once again, Din was thankful for the fact that he was wearing a helmet. Luke would’ve been too smug if he had seen how utterly flabbergasted Din was. 

The Jedi reached out a hand and beckoned Din upwards with a short, elegant wave. Din found it unfairly attractive. Not one to be outdone so easily, Din turned on his jetpack to fly up to where Luke was sitting in the tree. 

‘Cheater’, Luke said, as soon as Din was hovering close to him. 

‘Pragmatist’, Din retorted. 

‘Boring. Now come join me, Mr. Pragmatist’, Luke said, grinning at Din and holding out his hand to him. Din took it and Luke pulled him onto the branch easily, making Din think of just how strong Luke was that he could pull a grown man up with one hand. It made something in his chest bloom, but had no idea why. 

‘Thank you’, Din muttered as he settled onto the branch. 

‘If you’re scared of heights, you can hold onto me’, Luke said, training his eyes forward. Din wasn’t scared of heights, otherwise using a jetpack would’ve been quite impossible, but some strange urge inside him made him slip his arms around Luke’s middle in a fit of madness. He could feel the other’s small waist underneath his arms, Luke’s firm back against his breastplate. 

‘Hold on tight’, Luke whispered, his voice slightly breathless. He placed a warm, gloveless hand onto Din’s folded ones. Din felt his heartbeat pick up. 

‘If this goes terribly wrong I might have to use quite a lot of strength. I’m counting on you to keep me up here, alright?’, Luke whispered, turning his attention towards the cruiser visible through the tree’s leaves. 

‘I won’t let you fall’, Din promised, tightening his arms around Luke. The Jedi shivered in Din’s arms and the hand on Din’s clasped down a bit tighter. 

‘Thank you’, Luke answered, his voice barely audible. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks so much for reading, let me know your thoughts!  
> as always, if you want to talk to me or eventually see my finished blanket that im knitting for my toy Grogu arriving in a few days, my tumblr is @mandalourian (yes I changed my url bc this one is just too damn good)


	12. Surveillance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Din and Luke survey the shipyard.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi!! i hope you enjoy this chapter!!

Din had been in plenty of uncomfortable situations, especially since he’d met his little green gremlin of a son. Grogu seemed to invite more chaos into Din’s life than ever before, but then again, he wasn’t entirely surprised by that.  _ Like father, like son, I guess, _ he mused. 

All in all, Din was no stranger to remaining in one uncomfortable position for such a long time that he felt like his bones had been permanently reshaped. When Luke had decided on a tree branch of all things being the right place to keep watch, Din had mentally prepared himself for a few hours of pain. But somehow, his mind was too occupied with revelling in Luke’s warmth in front of him to realise how utterly inconvenient his placement on the branch was. 

‘They seem to be getting close to finishing half of it’, he said after they had been keeping watch for roughly an hour. 

‘You’re right. Watch out for patrols, I’m going to try something’, Luke said, unclasping the hand that had still been resting on Din’s and stretching out his arms. Din could feel the deep breath that he took and he assumed that Luke was closing his eyes. He always did. Din could practically see the serene expression settling on Luke’s face. 

For a few moments, nothing happened. Din scanned the shipyard around the cruiser and it seemed like all the troopers and the workers were doing exactly what they were told. Din frowned and opened his mouth to ask Luke what he was doing, when suddenly a deafening crash reverberated through the air. It took Din a few seconds to locate the sound’s origin, but then he saw that a large tower of  _ restian  _ containers had crashed to the ground, spilling open and effectively blocking the way to a large part of the cruiser. Troopers and workers were running towards the fallen containers and there were a few groans of pain. The falling tower had knocked out a few troopers as well as the foreman who had been yelling at the workers just moments ago. 

‘Dank  _ farrik’, _ Din said, impressed. Luke slumped back against him slightly. Din tried his best to hide how much he pressed into the touch. 

‘I’ll take that as a compliment’, Luke said and Din could hear the familiar warmth that indicated that Luke was smiling in that special way of his. 

‘How-’, Din started. 

‘The Force’, Luke said. ‘You’ve seen me lift those rocks in my morning exercises? This is similar. I just manipulated the bottom two stacks and let gravity do the rest.’ 

Din hummed. 

‘I’m sure Obi-Wan or Master Yoda could have done more, but I don’t want to expend all my energy until we’ve blown this thing up’, Luke continued. 

‘Obi-Wan?’, Din asked. 

‘He was my first master. I’d known him all my life. He was one of the greatest men I ever met… he was my father’s master as well. I- He died before the first death star was destroyed. I’ve been talking some more in the past few years and he’s- there were so many things about him that I didn’t know… He was also one of the greatest Jedi who ever lived, alongside Master Yoda. He was like a father to me’, Luke said, his tone wistful. Din tightened his arms a bit as Luke mentioned the death of his mentor, but something confused him.

‘...you talked to him? I thought he was dead’, he asked. 

Luke chuckled. 

‘It’s something you’d probably call Jedi shit again. Very powerful Jedi who’ve become one with the force sometimes remain in the galaxy as echoes in the force. They have a tendency to pop up when you need someone’s advice.’

‘-you’re gonna be a ghost one day?’, Din asked, incredulous. 

Luke laughed. 

‘Maybe, if I am powerful enough. If I have something important to say. Obi-Wan certainly has a lot of very interesting input sometimes… I learnt much from him. 

He taught me about the old Jedi Code and he’s helping me find a path that honours the old ways but is still appropriate for today, you know? He also has some other… comments about…other stuff’, Luke trailed off, sounding both amused and pained. 

‘Do I want to know what that means?’, Din asked. 

‘Well- I don’t know, honestly. It’s all- quite confusing. He likes speaking in riddles’, Luke said and Din could see his ears burn bright red. He decided not to push the subject since Luke seemed embarrassed. 

‘Well, I’m glad you get to see your old master’, Din said. 

‘Thank you, Din’, Luke whispered, slumping into Din’s arms a bit more. Both of his hands returned to resting on Din’s gloved ones and Din couldn’t help but realise how achingly domestic their position was. 

_ Domestic, _ Din thought.  _ Never thought that would be something I’d ever be. _ A flash of images ran through his mind. Luke, smiling up at him with Grogu in his arms. A kitchen with Din standing at the counter, stirring something, while Luke sat in a chair with Grogu on his lap. Grogu, sitting on a desk in front of Din, hovering the little metal ball over his hands excitedly while Luke wrapped a strong arm around Din. Luke, reaching out to curl his hands around Din’s helmet slowly, waiting for any sign from Din to stop. Luke, taking off his helmet millimeter by millimeter, his smile burning brighter than any sun as he looked into Din’s eyes, directly into his eyes, into his soul- as he came closer, his heavy gaze flicking between Din’s eyes and his lips-

‘They’re still rebuilding the tower’, Luke said, ripping Din out of his daydream. 

Din only grunted in acknowledgement, reeling from the vivid daydream.  _ What the  _ kriff  _ was that,  _ he thought, trying his best to mask how short his breathing had become. His head was spinning with questions. Where had that come from? Why was he thinking about this kind of stuff now? He’d never really even considered that he’d ever even… want anything like that. It didn’t fit into his albeit flimsy plan for his life. Din was supposed to jump from job to job, making ends meet, visiting his son as often as possible. He had expected to either die on a job or of old age, alone on some planet on the outskirts of the galaxy. Domesticity, feelings, a  _ partnership  _ had never… factored into his plans. Until he met Luke he hadn’t even thought he was capable of feelings like that and he’d been fine with it… he didn’t  _ need  _ anyone to be complete. He didn’t  _ need  _ a relationship. But as he felt Luke’s steady breathing against him, the warmth of his hands, the firmness of his back, he thought that maybe, just maybe, he  _ wanted  _ one. 

Maybe all these strange, confusing feelings that the Jedi evoked were more than just… Jedi Shit. Ashoka never made him feel anything of the sort and she was most certainly a Jedi, at least as far as Din understood it. 

Din was reeling. He could only hold onto Luke tighter, not noticing the concerned glances Luke was throwing at him as he experienced this positively mind-melting epiphany. He still didn’t understand all his feelings, he didn’t think there had ever been a time that he truly did, but suddenly some things made a lot more sense. He…  _ liked  _ Luke. It explained the weird rushes of feelings he got whenever the other smiled or hugged him or touched him. 

‘Din, are you with me? Are you alright?’, Luke asked, his voice laced with concern. 

‘Hm? Oh- yes. Thinking.’

‘I won’t pry, but if you do want to talk about it, I’m here’, Luke said, his hands grasping Din’s closer. Din felt the now familiar rush of exhilaration run though him at the gesture. 

‘Thank you’, he said, so quietly that Luke would have missed if he had not been so close. 

‘Are you comfortable back there?’

Din grunted noncommittally. 

‘Fine. I’ve felt worse’, Din answered. Luke hummed. 

‘Same. I still despise surveillance missions. They always end up with me having to squeeze through something or sneak around somewhere.’

Din snorted. 

‘This might be one of the nicer ones then’, he commented. 

‘The nicest. Usually I’m alone or my company isn’t quite as pleasant’, Luke whispered. Din almost didn’t catch it. 

‘Pleasant isn’t a word I’d use for myself’, he said. Luke’s grip on his hands tightened. 

‘You are, Din. It’s been a long time since I’ve been able to talk to someone like this. I enjoy your company’, Luke said, his words sending a shiver down Din’s spine. 

‘You’re not so bad yourself’, he muttered, embarrassed. He could barely see it out of the corner of his eye but Luke was smiling brightly. They sat in silence for a while longer, returning their attention to the cruiser in front of them. The workers were still occupied with clearing up the tower that Luke had toppled and the work on the cruiser itself had nearly stopped completely. 

The sun was setting slowly, the shapes of the trees were now casting long shadows over the shipyard and slowly the business seemed to stop, the workers returning to their barracks. There were a few guards stationed around the complex, but luckily, there were no troopers close to Din and Luke.  _ Maybe it’s not luck. Maybe it’s Luke and his force stuff, _ Din thought as he observed the guards. 

‘Alright’, Luke said after the sun had finally set and the shipyard was mostly abandoned save for the guards. ‘Now’s our chance.’

‘How do you want to do this?’

‘Hm. I don’t have any explosives on me’, Luke said. 

‘I only have a few small-scale ones. It might work if we set them directly under the fuel cells, but I don’t know if that will destroy the entire cruiser’, Din said, checking the bombs on one of his many utility belts. 

‘They must have carbonite lying around somewhere, this  _ is  _ a shipyard’, Luke mused. 

‘If I still had the  _ Razor Crest, _ I’d have some’, Din said, feeling the familiar pang of loss when he thought of the ship he’d called home for so many years. 

‘Sadly there isn’t any carbonite on the ship we used either’, Luke said. ‘But I think I can see some storage units not too far from the ship. They should have stored carbonite, imperial starships all need it to operate the cooling circuits.’

‘We could put it close to the finished panels and set charges there and on the fuel cells’, Din mused, leaning forwards to look at the storage units that Luke pointed out. 

‘That sounds like a solid plan’, Luke said. ‘Let’s do it.’

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks so much for reading, let me know what you thought!!  
> you can pry demisexual/demiromantic din from my cold dead hands, i will die on this fucking hill.   
> if you want to talk to me my tumblr is @mandalourian


	13. Accident

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Luke and Din sneak onto the shipyard to blow up the cruiser.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi yall! i hope you enjoy today's chapter!

Getting off the tree was quite a chore. Luke could do his Jedi thing again, climbing down the tree with as much ease and grace as Lurmen. Din, however, had to forgo the jetpack, since he didn’t want to draw any attention to himself. He fastened a grappling hook onto the branch and slowly lowered himself down, unclasping the hook once he had arrived on the ground, not nearly as elegantly as Luke.

As soon as he’d joined Luke, the two hurried towards the edge of the forest, eager to move their stiff joints. They kept as quiet as possible and for once, Din was glad Luke had made him wear the ugly poncho. His armour might have been too reflective otherwise. 

‘This way’, Luke whispered, leading Din closer to the cruiser and hiding behind a large assortment of boxes. They advanced slowly, steadily making their way to the storage unit that Luke had pointed out. A single guard was stationed in front of it. Din was about to pull out his blaster when Luke rested a hand on his arm. 

‘Wait, that’ll draw too much attention’, he whispered. He reached out a hand and closed his eyes. A door a few meters from the trooper made a creaking noise. 

‘Who’s there?’, said the trooper, walking over to investigate. When he arrived at the door it slid open with a silent  _ whoosh. _ The trooper slowly advanced inside and as soon as he’d set a foot over the threshold, the door closed again, knocking him into the wall but not closing completely. From the limp way the man was lying on the floor, Din guessed he was knocked out. Luke lowered his hand and winked at Din. 

‘Jedi shit again, I’m guessing’, Din commented as the two hurried to the storage unit. Luke only grinned at him. 

Din huddled over the panel next to the door of the storage unit while Luke guarded his back. It surprised him how well Luke and he worked together without having to even talk about their plans.  _ Maybe we would work together well in other circumstances too, _ Din thought. He immediately reprimanded himself.  _ Now is not the time to think these things. _

After a bit of fiddling with the wiring, Din managed to unlock the door and Luke quickly jumped inside to grab two large containers of liquid  _ carbonite _ . As soon as Luke was out of the room, Din closed the door again and the two of them snuck towards the ship. Din’s heart was racing. None of the guards had spotted them yet, but he had a bad feeling that their plan wouldn’t go over as smoothly as they’d hoped. He didn’t know what gave him that hunch, whether it was just a healthy dose of paranoia picked up from being hunted for too long or if it was his general track record with undercover missions. 

Luke led him to the front of the ship where the stealth paneling was already completed. There weren’t any officers immediately nearby, so they quickly set to rolling the two canisters of  _ carbonite  _ as close to a crane as possible. Once they’d set them down close to it, Din fastened two explosives on the containers and stepped back, keeping a lookout while Luke hovered the canisters onto the crane, just inches away from the newly added  _ restian  _ panels. Once he was done, the two of them snuck under the ship, staying in the shadows as long as possible until they reached the hull of the ship where the fuel cells lay. 

‘How do you know where the fuel is in this thing?’, Din whispered as he set a few charges, spread out over the fuel cells. 

‘Trust me. I’ve been around some when they blew up’, Luke answered, his back to Din, observing the shipyard. 

‘We haven’t been spotted yet’, Din noted. 

‘Don’t say that until we’re safely back at the ship’, Luke warned. 

As if on cue, and Din was sure that it was since the universe just loved to prove him wrong, a siren rang through the still night air. 

‘Dank farrik’, Din cursed, finishing up the charges and transferring the control to the panel on his arm. 

‘Let’s go, they must’ve spotted the guard’, Luke whispered and the two of them started to run away from the cruiser as fast as they could. 

It wasn’t enough. The siren had apparently called every guard on duty and suddenly the entire shipyard was flooded with stormtroopers. It only took a few seconds until one squadron spotted them and opened fire. Luke immediately lit his lightsaber, the green illuminating the air around them in a soft light and started to block blaster shots directed their way, somehow deflecting one that would have definitely hit Din. Din took the opportunity to fire at some troopers, hitting a few of them, but he couldn’t really make a dent in the sheer number of guards that came streaming out of the towers and the ships. 

‘Go, I’ll hold them off’, Luke shouted, planting himself in front of Din and deflecting blaster shots. 

‘Luke, no I-’

_ ‘Go! _ I’m a Jedi. I can handle myself. Get away from here, I’ll join you in a second’, Luke yelled with such determination that Din couldn’t bring himself to argue. He ran faster, seeing Luke retreat behind him. The Jedi was blocking all blaster shots that would’ve hit Din and as soon as Din managed to reach the trees he ducked behind one to start shooting back at the soldiers attacking Luke. He managed to take out a few, but the large majority was still advancing undeterred. 

‘Din! Blow it up!’, Luke yelled, inching backwards. 

‘You’re too close-’, Din yelled back. 

‘If you don’t do it now, we’ll never be able to!’, Luke yelled back, and Din saw that he was right. A few troopers had made their way towards the cruiser and they were getting closer and closer to the explosives, looking ready to take off the bombs. 

Din cursed under his breath and with a last look at Luke who was being pressed further and further back by the second, he set the bombs to explode. 

The  _ boom  _ was ear-piercing. The cruiser’s fuel cells were diminished into a gigantic ball of flame that incinerated anything in its way and as soon as the liquid  _ carbonite  _ hit the  _ restian _ , a strange, violet flame sprung up and the front of the cruiser exploded in a shower of lilac fire. The troopers closest to the ship were either burnt or thrown so far through the air that the resounding thud of their impact on the ground could be heard over the roaring of the fire. The other troopers were lying on the ground, either dead or unconscious. 

But Din didn’t see any of this. His eyes were trained on Luke, who’d been knocked off his feet by the violent explosion. The men around him were crushed under rubble or just lay there. Throwing caution into the wind, Din ran back onto the shipyard, his heart racing with fear. 

‘Luke!’, he yelled. There was no response. He skidded to a halt next to the Jedi’s motionless body and dropped to his knees. 

‘Luke’, he said again, taking Luke’s face into his hands. There was a nasty cut over his forehead that was bleeding heavily. His body was limp and his lightsaber lay next to him, turned off. 

‘Luke’, Din whispered, his entire body thrumming with fear as he held his metal knuckle protector over Luke’s mouth. The metal fogged up and Din breathed a sigh of relief. Luke was alive, he was just knocked out. His anxiety wasn’t stilled, but at least he knew Luke wasn’t dead. 

He grabbed Luke’s lightsaber and strapped it to his belt next to the darksaber. Then, he looped an arm around Luke’s back, wrapping Luke’s one arm around his shoulders and using his own other arm to lift Luke from under his knees. He stood up and walked away from the burning cruiser and the demolished shipyard with an unconscious Luke in his arms, the red and lilac flames consuming the cruiser licking at everything they could reach. Din ran towards the forest, leaving the inferno that bathed the place in an eerie red and violet light behind him. 

He reached their speeder that was still covered by two large leaves. Quickly, Din set Luke down and removed the leaves. He picked up the other again and maneuvered his lifeless body onto the speeder, climbing on behind him. 

‘Hold on’, he said, his voice breaking. ‘Don’t leave me.’

Luke didn’t stir as Din started the speeder, driving at breakneck speed back to their ship. He kept frantically scanning the area for troopers or wild animals, but the dark forest didn’t show any signs of danger. Din didn’t trust this, so he only hurried more. 

It took them too long for Din’s liking to arrive at their ship. Thankfully, Din noted that the ship was still fully intact. Noone seemed to have spotted it yet. 

With his heart in his throat, Din flew the speeder into the hull of the ship and turned it off, gently prying Luke off of it and carrying him to the small medical unit that they had on board. He just remembered to close the hatch of the ship when the medic droid had finished booting up. 

‘How may I help you today?’, the blasted metal thing asked. 

‘He’s injured. Do your kriffing job’, Din said, his voice much harsher than he had anticipated. The droid nodded and started examining Luke. Din paced in front of the small cot as the droid was working, cursing himself. 

_ I should’ve given him more time to clear out. Why didn’t I wait for him? I should’ve waited.  _

Din was interrupted by the droid. 

‘Sir? It’s about your friend’, the cursed heap of metal said. Din felt his heart drop. 

‘What? What is it? What did you do?’, he asked. 

‘He’s stable for now, sir, but we need to get him to a medical station as soon as possible. He’s losing a lot of blood.’

‘Do whatever you can for him!’, Din yelled at the droid who only nodded and returned to work on Luke. Din turned on his heel and ran into the cockpit. Stealth ship or not, he was bringing Luke Skywalker to his sister. 

_ I won’t let him die. Not on my watch. I refuse to.  _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks so much for reading! let me know what you thought.  
> i was thinking that what this fluffy mess needs is some good old-fashioned angst, so sorry about the tiny cliffhanger, but i do believe it gives the story a bit more ✨ spice ✨  
> im a few hours late today, but in my defense i was finishing my blanket for grogu and that just needed all of my focus. now that i too have a child, i fully understand din, since i, too, would risk it all for this little green gremlin and mine isn't even fucking sentient.  
> as always, if you wanna follow me (or see my blanket and my grogu hint hint), my tumblr is @mandalourian


	14. Help

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Din returns to the base with an unconscious Luke

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi everyone! since i tortured you with another cliffhanger last chapter, you're getting an early long one today! i hope you enjoy!

Din felt absolutely rattled. He frantically powered up the ship, his mind still in that small cot with an unconscious Luke. He started the ship and flew dangerously quickly, passing through the edge of the atmosphere in mere seconds while simultaneously punching in a shortened version of the plotted hyperjump course that Luke had taken to get them to this blasted planet. 

‘Come on’, he grumbled, nervously checking the scanners for any sign of the stealth ship that had attacked them yesterday. Nothing happened. Din didn’t trust the silence, clenching his fist over the navigation computer that was taking so damn long to load the kriffing route. 

‘Will you just  _ work  _ you damn pile of metal’, he hissed at the computer. His heart rate was so quick, he could hear the blood pumping through his ears. His entire head was filled with worst-case scenarios and anxieties, one more colourful and heartbreaking than the next. Overwhelmed, Din let out a short, pitiful sob and planted his face onto the panel in front of him. 

‘Please.  _ Stay with me’, _ he whispered into the quiet air of the cockpit, his voice breaking as tears streamed down his face. Noone answered him. 

A ping from the navigation computer alerted him. He sat back up, steadily ignoring the tears running down his face underneath the helmet. The kriffing thing had finally finished booting up the route and Din wasted no time in switching to hyperdrive, seeing the vast expanse of stars turn into white stripes around him through the blur of his tears. 

The hyperspace jumps took less time than on their trip to Phindar, but for Din it felt like an eternity. He wasn’t able to return to Luke’s side since he had to stay in the cockpit to control the jumps and keep a lookout for pursuers. It felt like he’d been sitting in the blasted chair for days when the computer finally announced the last jump. Din felt a bit of the weight on his shoulders lessen as they came out of hyperspace and the large space station was floating in front of him. 

‘This is New Republic Base 78-VX-1496, please identify yourself’, the comlink on the ship buzzed. 

‘This is Master Skywalker’s ship, Landing Craft 89-X-B90. He’s injured, he needs medical attention immediately’, Din answered, clenching his fists. 

‘Very well, you are cleared for landing. Please land in hangar H-358, we will have medical staff on standby’, the officer said. 

‘Inform Senator Organa of his condition’, Din added, already making his way towards the base. 

‘The Senator is currently busy-’

‘It’s her  _ kriffing brother. _ Just do it’, Din said, grinding his teeth. 

‘Very well sir’, came the reply. 

Sighing, Din initiated the landing maneuver, settling in the designated hangar and powering down the ship. As soon as he was able to, he ran into the back of the ship and around the speeder that he had parked very haphazardly, towards Luke.

‘How is he?’, he asked the droid, the anxiety barely masked in his voice. 

‘He is stable. I expect he will make a full recovery’, the droid answered in a tinny voice. Din felt a weight fall off his shoulders. 

‘Thank you’, he said, slumping over Luke and cradling the still unconscious Jedi in his arms. He looked a bit pale and the gash on his forehead looked nasty, even under the provisional dressing the droid had applied, but apart from that he looked like he was peacefully asleep. Din’s heart clenched at the sight and he hurried towards the hatch of the ship and into the hangar, depositing Luke on the stretcher that the medical droids had prepared for him. 

Leia wasn’t anywhere to be seen, so Din did the only thing he could think of and he followed the droids into the med bay. To his dismay, they wouldn’t let him into the room itself, making him wait outside since he could ‘disrupt their work’. 

Din’s anxiety was going through the roof. He paced back and forth in front of the door, trying his best to remain calm. He was failing quite miserably. 

After a good ten minutes of pacing, Leia came running down the corridor with a man behind her. The man was about as tall as Din, with brown hair swooping down into his face. He was wearing an outfit that fit about as well into the uniformed ranks of the republic as Din’s own armour: a white, loose shirt with a brown vest and dark brown pants with a blaster strapped to his side. He reminded Din of old holograms he’d seen of the bounty hunter Cad Bane. Only this guy wasn’t blue. Or wearing a hat. 

‘Din, what happened?’, Leia asked, not unkindly. 

‘We had to blow something up and- Luke got hit’, Din said, wincing at how tearstained his voice sounded. 

‘He got hit?’, the man behind Leia asked, turning to glare at Din. ‘How could he have gotten hit?’

‘Han, don’t-’, Leia started, but Din raised a hand. 

‘It was my fault. He- he was fending off troopers and told me to run… and then he told me to fire the charges and I- I should have waited for him to clear out’, Din trailed off. The man, Han, probably, grit his teeth and leveled Din with a glare that Din thought he definitely deserved. 

‘That’s enough’, Leia said, with finality in her voice. Almost immediately, Han backed down. ‘If Luke told you to set the bombs off there must have been a good reason.’

Din looked at the floor, still feeling immensely guilty, when the door finally slid open and a medical droid gestured for them to come inside. 

‘He’s absolutely fine. He has a mild concussion, but the gash won’t even leave a scar’, the droid said. 

‘Is he awake?’, Din asked, anxiously following the droid. 

‘No. It appears that he’s- sleeping. He seems extremely sleep deprived and once he was knocked unconscious his body used the time to rest’, the droid explained. 

‘Sleep deprived?’, Din asked, perplexed. ‘He slept fine last night…’

Din didn’t notice Han’s raised eyebrow at his comment.

‘It seems that he hasn’t been sleeping well for more than a few weeks. One good night of rest won’t get rid of that problem so easily’, the droid explained, leading them to the bed where Luke was resting. The wound on his forehead had been redressed and his face looked relaxed and peaceful. Din sank down in one of the few chairs next to Luke’s bed while Leia and Han took the chair on the opposite side. 

‘He should wake within the next hour or so’, the droid said. ‘I will leave you alone.’

With that, the metal bastard left the room and Din looked down to where Luke’s real hand was lying on the sheets. If he’d been alone with Luke, he would’ve taken it, but for now he was too self-conscious to do anything but wallow in his guilt. 

‘So. Who exactly are you?’, Han said. Leia slapped his arm lightly. ‘What? Dude shows up decked out in beskar with my brother-in-law bleeding out on a ship and I can’t ask any questions?’

‘Han. This is Din. Remember? Luke  _ told  _ us about him’, Leia said, her eyes flashing with something that Din couldn’t read. 

‘Wait,  _ you’re _ the guy Luke finds so hands-’

‘Han!’, Leia said, cutting in before Han could finish his sentence. Din looked between the two of them confusedly. What were they talking about? 

‘Him? Really?’, Han asked again, squinting at Din. 

‘Han, I swear to-’, Leia started, but then Luke stirred between them. He opened his eyes groggily and put his prosthetic hand over his eyes to block out the bright light of the med bay.

‘What did he do now, kill more porgs?’, Luke asked, his voice scratchy. It reminded Din of waking up with Luke in his arms. 

‘I have no idea what you’re talking about’, Han shot back, crossing his arms in front of him. ‘For legal reasons I have never and will never hurt porgs.’

‘...sure’, Luke answered. 

‘At least I don’t turn up knocked out with a random Mandalorian’, Han answered. 

‘He’s not a random- oh hey Din’, Luke said, lowering his hand and looking into Din’s direction. Din could only answer with a pitiful grunt. 

‘Are you okay? Did the explosion hurt you anywhere?’, Luke asked, sitting up in the bed and immediately turning all of his attention towards Din. He ran his hands up Din’s arm and Din nearly combusted internally. He’d spent the past few hours worrying whether the other would die and now he was confronted with Luke’s concerned blue eyes, his brow furrowed, his lips contorted in a frown. Those  _ lips- _

‘I- Luke you were knocked out. You’ve been unconscious for hours’, Din said, his voice weak and betraying how he’d cried on their way to the station. The hand that had been running up Din’s arm returned to rest on Din’s clasped hands. Din desperately wanted to pull Luke in a hug and never let go. 

‘I’m fine. I’ve faced much worse. I nearly got eaten by a sarlacc pit once, this is nothing’, Luke said, a sweet smile on his face. Din felt his heart pick up speed at the familiar warmth of the other’s smile. Din opened his mouth to say something, but he was interrupted by Han clearing his throat. 

‘If you two are done behaving like a married couple’, he said. Luke turned towards him to glare at him, but the hand on Din’s remained. 

‘What Han means is that we need to know what happened’, Leia said, smoothing over her husband’s indiscretion. 

‘Ah. Right. Well, we figured out what the remnants are doing’, Luke said, switching to his professional-Jedi-mode. ‘They’re using Phindar’s resources of  _ restian  _ to outfit their ships with stealth panels. We were attacked by a stealth ship when we arrived at Phindar and we had to set down pretty quickly.’

‘Stealth ships?’, Leia asked. ‘That’s all?’

‘Well, they were working on a cruiser class stealth ship’, Din added, not looking up from where Luke’s hand had intertwined with his. 

‘A cruiser class? That’s impossible’, Han scoffed. 

‘Well, we did blow it up, so I have to say it seems pretty real to me’, Luke said drily. ‘I have all the data we could download from the place on me.’

Luke reached into his pocket with his other hand and gave the data stick to Leia. 

‘That’s everything we could gather. We blew up the cruiser before they could get ready to launch, but I think you’ll have to mount a full-scale attack to destroy the entire facility and free the locals that they’re using as workers.’

Leia nodded. 

‘Thank you. We’ll get to a debriefing once you’re fully recovered and rested, both of you. But thank you already. You’ve done the Republic a great service.’

‘Never thought I’d see the day where you’d thank a Mandalorian, princess’, Han commented. He was smiling and he nodded at Din with something like respect. Din wasn’t entirely sure if he’d read the other correctly. Leia rolled her eyes. 

‘Just because you had a few bad run-ins with Boba Fett, doesn’t mean all Mandalorians are like him’, Leia said. 

‘Boba Fett?’, Din asked. 

‘What, you know him? Is he like your cousin or something?’, Han asked. 

‘No. I just met him a while ago. He helped me free the kid from Moff Gideon’, Din said. Suddenly there were three pairs of eyes trained on him. 

‘What?’, he asked. 

‘...you met Boba Fett… and he helped you… rescue Grogu?’, Luke asked, incredulously.   
‘Boba Fett is kriffing alive?’, Han asked. Leia was wearing an expression that was a mixture of amusement and shock. 

‘Yeah? He picked us up after you left’, Din said, not sure why the three others were so flabbergasted. 

‘I- I missed Boba Fett by a few minutes?’, Luke asked. 

‘Yes?’

Leia started laughing. 

‘I can’t believe it. The bastard is alive, after all these years’, Han said, his gaze flicking between Leia and Luke. 

‘Do you guys know him or something?’, Din asked. Han scoffed. 

‘You could say we have a… colourful history with him’, Luke said, leaning back against the pillows. 

‘That’s one way of putting it’, Leia said, grinning slightly. 

‘What should we do?’, Han asked. 

‘I’m not sure we should do anything’, Luke said. ‘He hasn’t done anything to draw attention to himself and I don’t see a reason to needlessly hunt someone who hasn’t technically done anything wrong in their profession.’

Leia nodded. Han looked into the round for a few more seconds and then shrugged. 

‘Well, now that that’s out of the way, Luke. You haven’t been sleeping?’, Leia asked, turning her attention on Luke. She was wearing the same sort of steely look of determination that Luke always wore when he was teaching the youngling something important. 

‘Ahhh, what makes you say that?’, Luke asked, his expression slightly pained. 

‘The droid said you were severely sleep deprived’, Din said. Luke turned back to him. 

‘Mando said you slept well yesterday?’, Han asked. Din felt his face burn and he could see the tips of Luke’s ears turn bright pink as well. 

‘I-I did. Yes.’

‘So what was different?’, Han asked. Luke sputtered, prompting Han to raise an eyebrow again. 

‘Well, whatever it was, it would be good if you could repeat it’, Leia said, her tone stern. Din tried his best to ignore how red Luke had gotten at Han’s question and how a small, secretive smile had spread over his face at Leia’s comment. 

‘I just- Look, I don’t want to leave the younglings without protection while I’m asleep’, Luke muttered. Leia sighed. 

‘But you’re no good to them half dead because you don’t sleep enough’, she said. 

‘Luke if- if you want, I could keep watch sometimes’, Din offered, pointedly not looking at Han or Leia. 

‘Din, I don’t want to burden you with any of that, it’s fi-’

‘It’s not a burden. I- I want you to be healthy’, Din mumbled so quietly that he nearly expected Luke not to hear him. 

‘That’s a good idea, Din’, Leia said kindly. ‘Luke, listen to him. He’s got a point.’

‘Alright, thank you Din. It’s very kind of you’, Luke said, and Din was confronted with the full force of his bright smile again. He could only nod in agreement, unable to form proper words. Luke stared at him for a while longer, something unreadable in his eyes. Din felt caught in his gaze, and the images he’d thought of while sitting on that tree behind Luke came back into his mind. He wanted to kiss Luke, wanted to rip off his helmet and kiss Luke right here, wanted to know if Luke’s lips tasted as sweet as they looked, wanted to know how it felt to kiss someone who was as radiant as Luke.

‘Well, I have some work to get back to and Han has some definitely not porg droppings to clean up on the Falcon, so we’ll leave you two alone’, Leia said, the smirk in her voice evident. ‘Once you’ve rested you two can give me the full story and you can be off back home.’

‘Thanks Leia’, Luke said, not looking at his sister. His voice sounded surprisingly low for his standards. 

Han and Leia made their way out of the room and Din could only hear Han mumbling something along the lines of ‘they’re worse than us’, before the door slid shut behind them and Luke and Din were alone in the room. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks so much for reading! let me know what you thought!   
> i decided i wanted to add han to the mix because i adore the idiot.   
> as always if you want to talk to me, my tumblr is @mandalourian


	15. Of Talks and Naps

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Luke and Din have a talk.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi yall!! I hope you enjoy today's chapter! my new toy grogu was sitting next to my laptop while i was writing this and i think he approves of his dad and his master getting together so i'll take that as a good sign sdfsdfdsf 👀👀

‘Luke, I-’, Din started, unsure of how to start. The way that Luke was looking at him took his breath away and it prevented Din from thinking straight, not that he found that particularly easy ever since he’d met Luke. 

‘Din’, Luke whispered. Din’s brain stopped functioning completely. ‘Do you really not mind the- sleeping?’

‘No. I want to- do that. Help you’, Din said, unable to really form an intelligent sentence. 

‘You-’, Luke started, grasping Din’s hands tighter. ‘Won’t you be uncomfortable?’

Din shook his head. He couldn’t remember a time where he’d been more comfortable than with Luke in his arms. 

‘You can always decline at any time, if you do feel uncomfortable’, Luke said, the expression on his face turning more serious. ‘I don’t want to pressure you into doing anything that-’

‘You’re not. Thank you for that, but you’re not’, Din interrupted. Luke smiled at him and took a deep breath. The tense air from just moments ago settled a bit. He squeezed Din’s hands again. 

‘I hate to ask this of you so early, but would you mind… if we took a nap? I guess I’ve really been underestimating my own tiredness’, he said and Din could see his eyes drooping slightly. 

‘Of course.’

Din shrugged off his armour quickly and stood up, standing at Luke’s bedside awkwardly. 

‘Come in’, Luke whispered. Din didn’t often think of himself as weak but there was no way in the universe to not follow Luke’s request. He settled down next to Luke in the bed that was way too small for the two of them. Again. Luke shuffled around a bit until he was resting his head on Din’s chest, placing his head directly over his heart. 

Tentatively, Din put his arm around Luke and he could feel the other melt underneath him. Something warm and foreign bloomed in his chest. He felt…  _ safe. _ Loved. Peaceful. He felt  _ at home. _ The only other living person who could make him feel like that was Grogu. Before he met the kid, the only people who’d ever made him feel at home were his parents and after their death he’d resigned himself to never truly feel at ease again. The fact that he now had not one but two people that evoked this… peace within his soul was… astounding.

‘What are you thinking?’, Luke asked, concern laced in his voice. 

Din hummed and was surprised to find that there were tears running down his face and his voice sounded a bit broken. 

‘I- I’m sorry’, he said, feeling the guilt inside of him well back up. 

‘What for?’

‘It’s my fault that you got hurt’, Din whispered. Luke sat up to look down at Din with a stern expression. 

‘It isn’t.’

‘But I-’

Luke raised a hand. 

‘No. I told you to set off the bombs knowing full well the danger I’d put myself in. I’m just glad you weren’t hurt’, he said. 

‘You were unconscious for hours, I-I thought you would  _ die.’ _

Luke stared at him in surprise. 

‘Didn’t the med droid tell you I would be fine? This isn't the worst thing I’ve ever been through, not by a long shot. I survived the Emperor’s force lightning, this isn’t something you need to worry about.’

Din cocked his head despite himself. 

‘Ahh. It’s a Sith thing. He expels lightning from his hand. Not very pleasant.’

‘The emperor struck you with lightning and you survived?’, Din asked, sitting up as well, alarmed. 

‘Yes, because my father chucked him into the main reactor of the Death Star. But that’s not important right now-’

‘Your  _ father  _ chucked the  _ emperor  _ into the  _ main reactor of the Death Star??’, _ Din asked, completely forgetting about his own issues for a bit, since Luke’s life seemed utterly ridiculous. 

‘Yes, to save me’, Luke said, a small amused smile playing on his lips. ‘But seriously, this isn’t important right now. I promise I’ll tell you all the details at some point.’

Din could only nod in astonishment. 

‘Din. This wasn’t your fault. I’m fine and in the end it was my choice. Don’t blame yourself for something that I decided to do.’

‘I know, I just. I got scared’, Din said. 

‘I’m sorry for scaring you.’

‘You don’t have to ap-’

‘I know. But I want to. I did not mean to scare you, but I didn’t see any other option. But you don’t need to worry about me so much. I can handle myself’, Luke said kindly, placing a warm hand on Din’s chest. 

‘I saw you take down an entire platoon of dark troopers just  _ like that. _ I know that you could probably destroy me in a few seconds’, Din said drily, but he did feel a bit of the weight of the guilt lift off of his shoulders. 

‘I think you’d put up a good fight’, Luke said, smiling slightly. Din shrugged. 

They were both silent for a few moments, Luke’s hand still resting on Din’s chest. 

‘Din, would you- would you like to wash your face?’, Luke asked, not fully meeting Din’s eyes. ‘I could leave you alone for a bit or turn around?’

Din’s heart immediately started to beat faster. 

‘You- you don’t have to’, he said, not knowing what exactly had possessed him. 

‘Din, I don’t want to intrude-’

‘Luke.’

Luke stopped talking and stared at Din. 

‘You’ve seen my face before’, Din said quietly. 

‘That was before I knew the significance. I don’t want to be the reason you break away from your religion’, Luke said earnestly. 

‘You aren’t. The things I was taught- they don’t encompass the whole of Mandalorian culture. The thing you were talking about, with struggling to find a path between the old ways and the new ways? I- Well I relate to that quite a lot. I’ve already shown my face to four people, which means I’ve not followed The Way that I was taught. And Bo-Katan, she- She mentioned a few things about Mandalorian culture that I just didn’t know.’

Luke looked at Din for a while, his face sympathetic. 

‘You come from a war-torn culture. Finding who you are, what being a part of that culture, being a Mandalorian means to you is- well, it’s an emotional journey. You’re not to blame if you don’t know certain things about your culture because those who have taken it from you have destroyed your access to it’, Luke said, resting one hand on Din’s gloved one. Almost on instinct, Din intertwined their fingers. 

‘I suppose you can relate’, Din said, looking down at their hands. Luke hummed in agreement. 

‘This is one thing I want to do. I’ve seen that you can be Mandalorian without the helmet and- I would like to try and see how it feels? For me, that is’, Din explained awkwardly. 

‘It is your choice. If you find that this isn’t something you are comfortable with, tell me and if you wish we can never speak of it again’, Luke said. Din’s heart ached.

‘Thank you’, he whispered. 

‘Not for this, my friend. Before you do that, though’, Luke said, turning around towards the small nightstand next to the desk. He picked up the comlink and locked the doors. ‘This way no one can see you but me.’

‘Thank you’, Din repeated, trying his best not to read too much into Luke’s comment. Then, hesitantly, he raised his hands towards his helmet. It unlocked from the neck holster with a  _ swoosh  _ sound, and he slowly raised it off his head. He thought that he must have looked like a mess, dried streaks of tears on his face and his hair an absolute mess, but Luke looked at him in absolute awe. 

‘You-’, he started, stopping himself before he could finish his sentence. ‘You have a nice face. Which I knew, of course, but. You do.’

Din felt his face burn and this time, he had no barrier to hide behind. It felt both terrifying and exhilarating, especially since Luke’s eyes were flitting over his face, seemingly mapping out every detail. 

‘I’m glad I’m not the only one constantly blushing’, Luke said, his own ears turning slightly pink. His comment only furthered Din’s blush, but he cleared his throat and raised an eyebrow at Luke. 

‘Oh so that’s what you look like when you stare at me like I’m being an idiot!’, Luke explained, with the same level of giddiness as Grogu finally getting the metal ball from Din. 

‘I don’t do that- How do you even know?’, Din asked, trying to force down an amused grin. 

‘You do! You always cock your head to the side a bit and your shoulders do the slightest shift. That usually means I just made a bad joke or something’, Luke explained. 

‘Your jokes aren’t bad’, Din said, now failing to hide his grin. He wasn’t sure if it was his overactive imagination but it seemed like Luke’s gaze got caught on his lips for a second, before flitting back up to his face. 

‘You’re the only one who thinks that’, Luke said. 

‘Clearly we have a superior sense of humor’, Din said with a crooked smile on his face. This time, Luke’s eyes were definitely caught on his lips for a few seconds. 

‘Practically  _ out of this world. _ You could even say it was  _ stellar’, _ Luke said, a stupid smile on his face. 

Din couldn’t help himself. He was tired and worn out and he had blown up one too many cruisers today, he’d only recently figured out that he had felt any romantic attraction at all, and now he was sitting in bed next to the object of his affections who’d just made an absolutely terrible space pun. He started laughing harder than he had in years, his breath coming in short intervals, a dumb smile spreading over his face. 

‘That was- pfft- that was so dumb’, he said through short giggles, looking up at Luke, who was staring at him with a wide grin on his tired face and something unreadable in his eyes. 

‘It’s good to see you laugh’, he said quietly. Din felt warmth blossom in his chest. 

‘I think you’re the first person to make me laugh in a while apart from the kid’, Din admitted. Luke smiled even brighter. 

‘It’s an honour then’, he said. ‘Are you feeling better?’

Din nodded and he reached to a side table to wipe his face with a paper cloth. 

‘Would you like to rest? I’ve been knocked out for hours, but you probably haven’t slept in at least 24 hours’, Luke said, the hand on Din’s chest returning. 

Din could only nod, realising how extremely tired he had become. He let himself flop down on the bed, resting his aching bones. 

‘Well then. Let’s sleep?’, Luke said and laid back down as well, intertwining their limbs and resting his head against Din’s shoulder. 

‘Good night, Din.’

‘Good night, Luke.’ 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks so much for reading!! let me know your thoughts!  
> i would say sorry for not having them kiss after yesterday's umm--- scene, but honestly, im not. this _is_ a slowburn after all and I am fully prepared to write a novel length fanfic that only has them kiss at the very end,,,,, you're very welcome to think of me as slightly evil here  
> anyway i'm very glad i could add in the funky lil headcanon that both din and luke like dad jokes, which is totally not just me projecting my own affinity for dad jokes onto my favourite characters, nope, i don't know what you're talking about.  
> if you want to talk to me, my tumblr is @mandalourian


	16. Warmth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Luke and Din wake up and have some talks about droids, parents and culture.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi yall!! I hope you enjoy this chapter  
> I gotta warn you, I'm very sleep deprived right now so this might not be the best chapter I've written but I hope it holds up nonetheless. Also excuse any mistakes, it's like half past 2 in the morning sdfsfdf

Din was woken by something shuffling closer into his side. He ignored it for a while, so used to Grogu sometimes poking him in the side, but then he heard a quiet sigh as a weight settled on his chest. It was warm and soft and Din felt a rush of giddiness spread through him and for some reason he knew that it was Luke, even through his sleep befuddled mind. 

He opened his eyes slightly and caught Luke blinking up at him blearily from close to his shoulder, a soft smile on his face. The heavy thing he had felt on his chest was Luke’s hand that was softly curled into the fabric, resting over Din’s heart. 

‘Morning’, Din said. Luke’s smile was blinding. Din wanted to kiss him. 

‘Good morning’, Luke said, his voice deep and rough, sending a shiver down Din’s spine. ‘How did you sleep? How are you feeling about the helmet?’

‘Alright. I- It doesn’t feel bad- at least not with you.’

Luke smiled, the hand on Din’s chest curling tighter into the fabric. 

‘I’m glad. I promise I will treat this with the utmost respect’, Luke said. 

Din smiled and he could see Luke blush. 

‘I know’, he said simply. And he did. He trusted precious few people in his life, but Luke was one. He also felt a strange connection between the two of them. Jedi and Mandalorians were as different as light and day, but both Luke and Din struggled with finding who they were in a cultural context that had been nearly completely distorted and warped in the Clone Wars and the Empire’s reign. 

‘You’re thinking very loudly’, Luke commented. Din looked at him for a second and then at the ceiling, contemplating.

‘I’m just… surprised, maybe. I had thought that letting someone see my face when there isn’t any- immediate danger would feel… well I thought it would feel wrong’, Din said, staring at the ceiling and its little nooks and crannies. 

‘I’m glad it doesn’t feel bad, but it’s understandable if you’re confused’, Luke commented, his thumb on Din’s chest starting to rub smooth circles into the fabric. Din could feel the warmth and he nearly shivered. 

‘I think- I think I will keep on my helmet for the most part. Grogu and you, well I guess you’re the exception.’

Din could hear Luke suck in a breath in surprise. 

‘That’s- that’s very sweet of you. I’m honoured’, he said, his voice small, and Din was sure that he was blushing. ‘For what it’s worth, I do really enjoy seeing your face, but there is a certain charm when you’re wearing the helmet.’

Din looked back towards Luke who was sporting a smirk, even though his ears were burning brightly. They looked at each other for a few moments, Din feeling his own face heat up under Luke’s gaze. There was a certain tender quality in the look they shared. He’d never really understood how Ashoka, Luke and the kids could communicate with Grogu without speaking, but he now imagined it felt something like this. It wasn’t so much that they were talking, necessarily, more communicating emotions. He felt safety and warmth radiate off of Luke, and he met Luke with his own feelings of warmth and comfort. The urge to kiss Luke intensified, but he stopped himself before he could even move on to think more. _ This is not the time or the place, Din, _ he reprimanded himself.  _ Luke is your friend, nothing more. Don’t ruin one of the only good friendships in your life.  _

It hurt him to think this way, but the anxieties bubbling over in his chest after losing so many people throughout his life won over any ambitions he had to kiss the Jedi in bed with him.  _ I don’t want to risk losing him. Not when I’ve finally started to understand him. _

A knock on the door interrupted his thought process and made Luke look away towards the door. 

‘I’m sorry to wake you Master Skywalker, but Senator Organa wanted me to ask you whether you feel strong enough for a debriefing?’, someone outside of the door said, their voice suspiciously tinny. 

‘3PO? Is that you?’, Luke asked, sitting up in bed, but leaving the hand on Din’s chest. 

‘Yes, Master Luke’, the tinny voice from outside answered. Luke turned to shoot Din a look and Din shrugged, grimacing at the fact that there was another droid around.  _ Damn metal bastards. _

‘Tell Leia we’ll be right up, 3PO’, Luke said, keeping his eyes on Din. 

‘Yes Master Luke!’, the droid said and the clanking of footsteps indicated that he was leaving again. 

‘Din, can I ask you something?’, Luke asked, not moving from the bed and looking down at Din, who just nodded.

‘You don’t have to answer this, but- do you hate droids?’

Din grimaced again. He usually suppressed why exactly he despised droids so much. It only invited pain. 

‘Yes’, he said curtly. 

‘Oh’, Luke said, clearly wanting to ask more, but refraining from doing so. Din sighed. 

‘I- my parents were killed by droids. Before the Mandalorians found me’, Din said, sitting up as well, turning away from Luke. 

‘I- Din, I’m so sorry, I shouldn’t have asked’, Luke said, his voice laced with concern. 

‘It’s fine. It happened long ago’, Din said. He felt an ache in his chest and he clenched his fists on his legs. 

‘Din, I- I would like to give you a hug, but only if you’d like to’, Luke said and Din could feel his hands hovering over his shoulders. 

‘I already said you don’t have to ask’, Din said. 

‘I know. But this is- well it’s a vulnerable situation to be in and some people don’t like to be touched in moments like this’, Luke said. Din felt himself relax a bit at Luke’s admission. 

‘Thank you… I usually don’t really like people touching me, so I appreciate you asking. But it’s fine, I wouldn’t mind… a hug’, Din said, feeling his face burn. 

Luke hummed and put his hands on Din’s shoulders, and scooted next to him. He slid an arm around Din, strong and warm. Din felt himself melt and as if on instinct, he put his head on Luke’s shoulder, feeling the strength of Luke’s torso underneath him. Luke rested his head on Din’s and Din felt the now familiar feeling of home sweep through him. Neither of them really said anything for a while, simply enjoying each other’s company. 

‘I’m sorry for bringing it up’, Luke whispered into Din’s hair. ‘I didn’t mean to bring back bad memories.’

‘It’s not your fault. If I didn’t want to tell you, I wouldn’t have’, Din said. They were quiet for a few more moments. 

‘We should head to the bridge’, Din said. Luke nodded and squeezed his shoulder tighter. 

‘We should.’

Nothing happened for a few more seconds, until Luke sighed loudly and pressed a kiss to the top of Din’s head, sending a spark of electricity through Din. Luke got up, his arm only slowly retreating, leaving sudden cold in its path. 

With a sigh, repressing his jittery nerves at the fact that Luke had just  _ kissed him, _ Din got up as well, putting on his armour. 

‘Here’, Luke said, handing Din the helmet with the utmost care. Din took it, brushing Luke’s hands. 

‘Thank you’, he whispered, not putting on the helmet yet. Luke stared into his eyes for a while longer, and Din couldn’t help himself as he stared back. Luke looked too pretty in his black clothing, the tunic stuffed into his dark pants and the lightsaber attached to his hip. He’d put on his tall, shiny boots as well. His hair was as messy as usual, some strands falling into his eyes. His  _ eyes. _ Din liked Luke’s eyes. They were always bright and warm and beautiful and Din thought he could spend hours just staring into them. 

‘We should- Debriefing’, Luke whispered. 

‘Yeah’, Din answered, his voice raspy. With a last glance at Luke’s face he put on his helmet again, feeling the familiar darkness closing in over his face. 

The two of them headed outside, a comfortable silence spreading over them like a blanket. Din felt less strange than he’d expected when he took off his helmet the night before. It hadn’t felt- weird or wrong to show Luke his face. It was a mixture of Luke having seen his face before and Luke just feeling… right. He still couldn’t exactly put this… rightness into words, but he trusted Luke instinctually. 

‘There you are’, Leia said, once the two of them had finally arrived on the bridge. 

‘I hope you slept well’, Han said with a very obvious smirk on his face. 

‘Very well actually, thank you for asking’, Luke said, putting on a serene Jedi smile, but Din could feel the smirk underlying Luke’s serenity. 

‘Well, I’m glad to hear that’, Leia said, raising her eyebrows at both Luke and Han. ‘Are you ready to go over the details from yesterday?’

For the next few hours, Leia asked very detailed questions, noting down both Luke’s and Din’s accounts on a datapad. Han was standing beside her, surveying a map of the Phindar system. 

‘Well, I think that’s it’, Leia said after they had gone over each detail twice. ‘I think you were right, Luke, we probably need to mount a full-scale attack on Phindar to destroy the base completely and help the Phindarians.’

‘I think that’s a good idea’, Luke said. ‘I would help, but we’ve already been away from the kids for quite a while.’

‘We can handle this, kid’, Han said. 

‘You know I’m older than your wife, right?’, Luke said, leaning back in the chair that he’d slumped in after an hour. 

‘By a few minutes’, Leia said. 

‘You’ll always be  _ kid  _ to me’, Han said, grinning wickedly and winking at Leia. Luke shot Din a look, rolling his eyes. 

‘We’ll handle this, Luke’, Leia said, patting Luke’s shoulder. ‘You have your duties and we have ours. We can destroy some smaller stealth ships and an airbase without Jedi support.’

‘Alright’, Luke said, nodding at Leia thankfully. ‘We’re both eager to get back to the kids.’

‘I’m sure your kids miss their dads’, Han said, leaning against the terminal and crossing his arms in front of him, a teasing grin on his face. Luke’s ears flushed. 

_ ‘Master. _ I’m their Master’, he corrected. 

‘Sure, dad’, Han said. ‘You already have the humor, just accept your fate.’

‘My humor isn’t that bad.’

‘For a dad’, Han said. 

Luke leaned his head back on the chair and smiled despite himself. 

‘You’re impossible’, he said. 

‘I second that’, Leia said. 

‘And I stand by it’, Han shot back, still smirking. 

Din’s eyes were flitting between the easy conversation that the three friends were having. Luke turned his head towards him, smiling lightly. 

‘Din thinks my humor is fine’, he said, activating puppy dog eyes that were almost as effective as Grogu’s. 

‘You’re funny’, Din said, unable to say no to Luke’s pleading eyes. 

‘I think you’re a bit biased, Mando’, Han said with a raised eyebrow. 

‘No, he’s just a connoisseur of good humor’, Luke said, sitting up and grinning at Din gratefully. Din blushed and cleared his throat.

‘Definitely biased’, Han said, throwing Leia a look. She seemed to be trying her best to not roll her eyes at her friends’ antics. 

Din smiled underneath his helmet. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks so much for reading, let me know your thoughts!   
> to be honest i didnt think id have to write this much dialogue when i started this project, but here we are with effective and extensive communication because we like healthy relationships in this house  
> as always, my tumblr is @mandalourian, feel free to talk to me!!


	17. Homeward Bound

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Din and Luke make their way home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi yall!! i hope you enjoy today's chapter!   
> also, since i realised i haven't actually explicity set an upload schedule, I usually upload every day, sometime in the late evening GMT. sometimes i might get a bit side tracked (like today, i learnt how to do the chewie thing (kind of, i sound like a wookie going through puberty but hey)), but usually a new chapter should be up at some point during that time!

‘The officers responsible for providing you with the supplies just reported in, they’re done’, Leia said, after returning to the bridge. Luke and Din had been sitting in front of a massive star chart, discussing strategies with Han, who was leaning over a terminal. 

‘Thank you’, Luke said. ‘We should probably be off, I don’t want to leave the kids alone for too long.’

‘Hang on for a second, Chewie just came in, I’m sure he wants to say hi’, Han interjected, pointing to a chart in front of him that showed the hangar with a massive, disk-like ship inside. Luke smiled and nodded, staying in his seat. 

Just a few moments later, a golden human-shaped droid walked onto the bridge from one of the side doors, followed by a giant, fuzzy creature that Din identified as a Wookie. He hadn’t seen one in person before, had only heard that they were extremely strong and fuzzy and that you shouldn’t win against one in holochess. 

‘Master Luke! It’s so  _ good  _ to see you!’, the droid said, raising his arms and waddling over to Luke with small steps. The Wookie behind him made a few unidentifiable groans and started running towards Luke, lifting him up out of the chair, and into a giant bear hug.  _ I guess this classifies as a Wookie hug, _ Din thought, grinning to himself. 

‘Hey, Chewie! I missed you too, buddy’, Luke laughed, patting Chewie’s back enthusiastically. The droid had been easily overtaken by the Wookie and he was now standing behind the two awkwardly. Din resolutely looked away to invite as little interaction with yet another moving tin can, but he had no such luck. The golden droid walked up to him with awkward steps. 

‘Hello. I am C-3PO, human-cyborg relations, pleased to meet you Master Mandalorian’, the droid said. Din nodded, getting up from his seat and instinctively letting his hand slip towards the blaster strapped to his side. 

‘Alright, alright, let me down’, Luke said, still laughing. The Wookie set him down onto his feet and Luke turned to find Din. He reached out a hand and tugged Din to his side by his upper arm, wrapping long, strong fingers around Din’s biceps. 

‘Chewie, this is my friend, the Mandalorian. And this is Chewbacca. We call him Chewie’, Luke explained, the hand on Din’s biceps staying. 

Chewbacca let out another series of growls and moans that Din didn’t understand.

‘He says it’s nice to meet you’, Luke said. The Wookie growled some more and Luke’s ears turned red again. 

‘He also said to treat Luke well or he’ll break both your arms and hang you upside down over lava for a few hours’, Han translated. Din choked on his spit while Luke’s face turned a lovely shade of red. 

‘I- I’ll do that. But I think if I did hurt Luke, he’d be fully capable of doing that to me himself’, Din said after a short pause of collecting his wits. 

‘Ahh, he’d be too noble. Some Jedi stuff about not taking revenge. Chewie and I aren’t that noble, just a heads-up’, Han said, his tone half joking, half serious. 

‘Can you stop threatening my friend’, Luke asked, having buried his face in his hands. 

‘Just a friendly reminder’, Han said cheerfully, patting Din on the back. 

‘It’s fine’, Din assured Luke, who looked up at him apologetically. Then he seemed to realise that the golden droid was still there, surveying the action. 

‘3PO! How’ve you been!’, he said, walking over to the droid to put a hand on his shoulder. 

‘I’m quite well Master Luke! I’ve just recently had my circuits cleaned completely and I feel like I’m fresh off the production rack! It’s truly a marvel’, the droid answered. 

‘That’s good to hear. R2 sends his best.’

‘Ah, R2! Well, do send him my best as well. As much as I hate to admit it I miss that blue terror’, the droid commented with a somewhat longing undertone. Din hadn’t known droids could experience longing. 

‘Will do.’

‘Alright, everyone, this is a very sweet reunion, but we do have some work to do and you two have children to get back to’, Leia interjected, already walking to the terminal in the middle. 

‘You’re right. Stay safe and get a message to me about how the battle went. If you need me there, well… send me an urgent message through R2. Otherwise don’t-’

‘Don’t contact you unless in cases of absolute emergencies’, Han interrupted with a snarky grin on his face. ‘We know, Luke. Don’t worry so much. Go home and teach the kids some jumpy shit or something.’

‘May the force be with you’, Luke said solemnly to his friends. 

‘May the force be with you’, Leia answered, a knowing smile on her face as her eyes flitted between Din and Luke. Han wore a similar smile as he waved at them, while Chewbacca groaned next to him. Din guessed that  _ brraaaugh _ was Wookie for  _ Goodbye.  _

‘Have a safe flight, Master Luke, Master Mandalorian’, the droid said. 

‘Uh. Yeah, bye’, Din finished lamely, following Luke out of the room, into one of the lifts that would take them back to the hangar where their ship was. As Leia had already reported, the ship was filled with supplies and as Luke and Din fired up the ship and left the space station behind them, Din wondered how they would get their supplies back to the base without proper transport. When he asked Luke, the other smiled and inserted the data stick that held the hyperspace route, letting the ship calculate the exact trajectory. 

‘The supplies are dropped from the air directly into a clearing just outside of the temple’, Luke explained. ‘They’re supposed to be used for humanitarian missions to active war zones, so they’re pretty stable.’

‘Oh. Smart.’

Luke chuckled. 

‘Thank you. We’ll have to haul them into the temple once we get back.’

Din nodded. 

‘I’m sorry about my friends, they can be- quite a lot sometimes’, Luke said after a while, once they had started their extensive hyperspace jumps. 

‘It’s fine. I mean. They care about you. That’s good.’

Luke grimaced. 

‘Yeah, they do. Just- I wish they wouldn’t threaten the person that I l- I mean my friend’, Luke said, stumbling over his own words and blushing. 

‘I’ve heard worse.’

‘That- I don’t know if that makes it better’, Luke answered, staring out of the window into the hyperspace tunnel unfolding around them. Din hummed noncommittally. 

‘I’m glad you have friends like that’, he said, after a few more moments. Luke smiled and turned his face towards Din. 

‘Me too’, he said, his voice soft and warm and Din could only stare at him longingly. 

The rest of the journey passed rather uneventfully. They flew in comfortable silence, broken by a bit of idle chatter from Luke’s side. The glances he threw Din were soft and Din felt warm all over. He wondered whether Grogu would be able to tell that his relationship with Luke had… shifted into something closer. A form of partnership, even if Din was too scared to say it out loud. 

At the thought of Grogu, an ache spread through his chest. He hadn’t let himself think about how much he missed the little womp rat.  _ It’s only been three days, _ Din thought.  _ You survived months of this. Surely you can do a few more hours.  _

‘Din, are you alright?’, Luke asked. 

‘How do you  _ do  _ that?’

‘I could sense- well, pain? Longing’, Luke answered, his face concerned.  _ Jedi Shit, then.  _

‘I just- I miss him’, Din said, silently. Luke smiled at him sympathetically. 

‘He misses you too’, he whispered, scooting closer to Din and putting a tentative arm on Din’s forearm. ‘I’m always amazed at your bond. It’s very… pure. It feels like this… bond of pure light.’

Din stared at Luke, speechless at Luke’s admission.

‘I never really… had that bond with my father. It was always… well, it was complicated even at the best of times. I’m just- it’s very heart-warming to see you both try to be the best for each other. It feels… real. Not perfect, because these things never are, but it feels truly good’, Luke said, staring down at his prosthetic hand. 

Grasped by a surge of affection, Din scooted forward and wrapped Luke in a hug, cradling his head to his chest gently. He couldn’t speak, but he found that Luke understood him even when he was just holding the other. 

Luke’s hands came up to wrap around Din as well, his breath coming in short puffs. Din held Luke gently, because even though he was one of the most powerful beings in the entire galaxy, if not  _ the  _ most powerful, he was undeniably precious and deserved to be treated as such.

For a while neither of them said anything, until Din heard that Luke’s breaths were coming shorter and shorter and he could hear a low, sniffling sound. 

‘Luke?’, he asked, trying his best to make his voice sound as gentle as possible. Luke was quiet for a few beats. 

‘Ahh. This is… nothing. You don’t have to worry’, Luke said, his voice thick. Din frowned. 

‘Luke. You’ve helped me. You don’t have to hide from me.’

Luke sighed, burying his head further in the fabric of Din’s shoulder pads. 

‘If- if I tell you, you’ll look at me differently’, he said and Din could hear the anxiety in his voice. 

‘I won’t judge.’

Luke sighed again and curled his hands into the fabric on Din’s back. 

‘My father- my father was Darth Vader’, Luke whispered. 

‘...who was that again?’, Din asked. Luke pulled his face back from Din’s chest and stared at him in disbelief. There were tears running down his face but he seemed too stunned to continue crying. 

‘Darth Vader? He was the second in command? After the Emperor?’

‘Oh! Yes, I knew I heard that name before’, Din said. Luke stared at him as if he had grown a second head. 

‘He… he was one of the most notorious Sith Lords to ever live’, Luke continued, still flabbergasted. 

‘You did say that your father was corrupted by some other Darth person... but in the end, you’re you and he’s he?’

A slow, tiny smile spread over Luke’s face. He looked tired. 

‘He- he wasn’t completely evil? In the end he saved me from the emperor… Darth Sidious didn’t destroy all the good in him, but… even though I know that- thinking about him is… complicated. I try not to feel resentment, because that is not the Jedi way, and I learnt the hard way that revenge is not worth disregarding your morals. But I still feel… strange whenever I think about him. It’s beautiful to see bonds between a father and a child where that- isn’t the case, but I won’t say that it doesn’t make me long for something I never had, as selfish as that sounds.’

Din was quiet for a moment, gathering his thoughts. 

‘I don’t think it’s selfish. It’s understandable. I- when I see people who’ve grown up with their parents, I feel that too… it’s like you want to make up for something you never got.’

Luke nodded and drew back a little, resting his hands in Din’s. 

‘It’s not… hate or jealousy really… It’s more of a longing?’

It was Din’s turn to nod. 

‘I’m sorry for dumping this while we were talking about you and Grogu’, Luke added. Din shook his head and reached down to take off one of his gloves. 

‘It’s alright’, Din said, trailing his hand up Luke’s arm and reaching out to brush some tears from his face gently. Luke leaned into the touch softly, closing his eyes as Din’s fingers grazed the delicate skin underneath his eyes. Din felt a warm sort of electricity run down his hand, through his arm and down his spine. He let his hand stay on Luke’s face for a moment longer than necessary before letting it return to hold Luke’s hands again. 

‘His name used to be Anakin Skywalker’, Luke said after a few moments. His eyes were still closed. ‘Obi-Wan has told me a lot about their adventures when they were younger. It feels like- I can get to know him a bit more like this.’

‘Maybe that will help you get some closure’, Din said. Luke opened his eyes. 

‘Maybe. It makes him feel less… distant, that’s for sure.’

Din could only nod at him.

‘Thank you’, Luke whispered after the two of them had sat in silence for a few minutes. 

‘Of course’, Din replied, quietly. Luke squeezed his hands one last time, the feeling of Luke’s hand in Din’s bare one intoxicating. He took a deep breath and turned back to the control panel as the computer beeped to announce the last hyperspace jump. 

‘Well. Home, sweet home’, Luke said, a small but soft smile on his face as Yavin IV sprang into view in front of them. 

_ ‘Home’, _ Din agreed. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks so much for reading, let me know what you thought!   
> i have to admit that the idea that Din doesnt exactly know who Anakin is isn't mine, I saw a textpost about it on tumble a week ago and it stuck with me, but I can't seem to find it anymore. i found it too funny to not include it in here   
> as always if you wanna talk to me, my tumblr is @mandalourian


	18. Advice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Luke and Din walk back to the temple. Help comes from an old friend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hiya everyone! i hope you enjoy today's chapter, i'm very excited about this one for... reasons...

Dropping the supplies onto the clearing close to the temple was surprisingly easy. Din only had to stand at the opened hatch and throw down the boxes one by one. The parachutes immediately opened and the landed on a sandy area just a few hundred metres away from the entrance to the tunnels. 

‘We’ll pick them up when we get back’, Luke said once Din returned to the cockpit. He steered the ship away from the compound, towards the sandy landing platform a few hours away. 

‘Well, I hope you’re in the mood for a hike’, Luke noted when he’d landed the ship. 

‘As long as that hike doesn’t include any kriffing grub’, Din grumbled. Luke chuckled. 

‘Don’t worry, this time I won’t get eaten by one.’

‘You’d better not’, Din said. 

‘I promise you I won’t permanently get eaten by a leviathan grub’, Luke said, putting a hand on Din’s shoulder. 

‘...you just had to add the permanently, didn’t you?’

Luke scoffed good-naturedly. 

‘Of course. I can’t promise I won’t jump into one again, but I can promise that I won’t die from it. That wouldn’t be a very good way to go.’

Din smiled underneath the helmet. 

‘It wouldn’t’, he said, putting his own hand on Luke’s. They stood in the cockpit of the ship for a few more minutes, until Luke tugged Din’s hand towards him and pulled him out of the ship. Din let himself be dragged away, not letting go of Luke’s hand. He didn’t want to. He wanted to keep holding Luke’s hand, especially because he still hadn’t put his glove back on and he could feel Luke’s warm skin against his own and it was still as exhilarating as it had been in the beginning. 

‘Let’s go home, Din’, Luke said, once they had left the ship and were standing on the sand. He still hadn’t let go of Din’s hand. 

‘Let’s go’, Din agreed and the two of them started walking into the jungle, hand in hand, their fingers intertwined. Din tried his best not to think of a situation where they would be walking just this way but with different circumstances. A situation where Luke could reach up and take off Din’s helmet to press a kiss to his cheek. A situation where Din could pull Luke to a tree and kiss him square on the mouth, finally stilling the urge to know how those beautiful, beautiful lips would feel underneath his. Where Luke would kiss him with as much enthusiasm as he used for his morning exercises. Where Din had the courage to speak up and tell Luke that he liked him, that Luke occupied his thoughts, that every touch made him feel like a star going supernova, that every smile the other directed at him was like the most beautiful sunrise Din had ever seen. 

Luke’s hand was clutching Din’s a bit tighter and Luke’s arm brushed against Din’s armour. Din wanted nothing more than to pull the other into a hug and never let him go, never let go of his hand, keep him away from the world. As if on cue, Luke’s grip got looser and looser, and after a few moments, he pulled his hand back to fix his hair and check the holomap on his arm. Din felt like someone had just taken away his blanket on an ice cold night. Luke’s face was… unreadable. Din had thought that he had learnt to read the Jedi fairly well, but right then he was completely incapable of deciphering what went through Luke’s head. He couldn’t figure out a good way to ask Luke what he was thinking about so he remained silent, unsure if he’d done something wrong. 

‘We’re about halfway there’, Luke said after they had been walking in silence for a bit. This had been the first truly tense silence Din had had with Luke and he was more than relieved when Luke finally spoke up. 

‘I’m glad, I- I missed Grogu’, he answered. 

‘I can sense that he missed you too’, Luke said, a small smile on his face, even though he didn’t seem as warm and happy as usual. Din felt his heart ache slightly. 

‘Is everything okay?’, Din asked. Luke shot him a sideways glance. 

‘You’re almost as perceptive as a Jedi’, Luke joked, obviously avoiding the topic. 

‘Only with you and Grogu. But if there is something wrong, you can- you can tell me… if you want.’

‘It’s a bit complicated… Let’s say that I’m having a bit of a crisis of faith. I don’t know whether a certain feeling is- appropriate for a Jedi or whether I should release it in the force and feel remorse over it for the rest of my life.’

Din was quiet for a while as they trekked through the jungle. He didn’t know how to answer. 

‘Feelings are complicated, Luke’, a voice from behind Luke said. It sounded slightly eerie, like someone talking in a large hall. Almost instantly, Din had swirled around and drawn his blaster and his darksaber. In front of him stood a man, roughly in his forties. At least Din thought he was, since the man looked more like a very realistic hologram than an actual person. He had short, slightly wavy hair that was parted artfully on the side and tucked behind his ears. His beard was well-maintained and full. His eyes were bright blue and they seemed to sparkle with deep wisdom and pain as well as mirth at the same time, almost to an unnatural degree. He was dressed in a tunic that stretched over his broad shoulders, which was cinched by a dark belt around his waist that had a lightsaber dangling from it. The man’s pants were dark and his boots were similarly tall and shiny to Luke’s, only this man’s shoes weren’t black. He was wearing an amused smile and had his arms crossed, one hand stroking his beard thoughtfully. 

‘Hello there’, the man said, a lopsided smirk on his face. 

‘Obi-Wan?’, Luke said, surprised. He put his hand on Din’s arm. ‘Din, it’s fine. This is Master Kenobi. I told you about him.’

 _‘This_ is your master? I thought he’d be older’, Din said, only tentatively lowering his weapons. Obi-Wan narrowed his eyes at the darksaber in Din’s hands. 

‘I _am_ older than I look, Din Djarin’, Obi-Wan said. ‘I took a few pages out of Anakin’s book. If he can avoid looking all burnt, I can return to... looking younger. Call me vain, but I do enjoy my hair in its prime.’

‘It was quite a shock when Obi-Wan first talked to me like this’, Luke admitted. Obi-Wan smiled serenely. Funnily, Din could see a remarkable resemblance to Luke in that smile. 

‘I see _you_ have the darksaber now’, Obi-Wan stated, turning to Din. 

‘Uhh… yes.’

‘Do you know how to use it?’

‘I can wield it like a spear’, Din said, confused why Obi-Wan was staring at the darksaber with such intent. 

‘We will train together’, Luke said, putting a hand on Din’s back. He didn’t take it away and Din felt _something_ inside of him fit into place. 

‘Good. That saber… guard it well. It should not fall into the wrong hands- it has... done far too much damage already’, Obi-Wan explained, his face grim. 

‘Now, Luke. I meant what I said. Emotions are difficult and multi-faceted. Like everything in this galaxy they have the potential for being _both light and dark._ I- you know that the Jedi Order in the days of the Republic was... too strict… too dogmatic. It took me years to come to that conclusion, but... it is the truth. That made us vulnerable to attacks from the Sith- it made us lose sight of what the Jedi were meant to do.’

‘I know, Master’, Luke said. 

‘In the beginning, you must... see emotions as grey. I think- and this was not what I was taught, it took me long years of solitude and mourning everyone I ever loved to understand- but I think you must rely on the force instead of asking whether something is dogmatically correct. Don’t repeat my- our mistakes, Luke’, Obi-Wan said, a painful shadow crossing over his face. 

‘I am trying, master, but- I don’t know how’, Luke admitted, dejectedly. Din reached out a hand to put on the small of Luke’s back. He could feel the Jedi lean into the touch. 

‘You _are_ on the right path. Just- trust your instincts. Trust that you are wise enough and calm enough to recognize the dark side in your own emotions. If what you are feeling feels… right, and you have meditated on it, then... it is the will of the force’, the ghost said. He looked at Luke with a soft, almost fatherly smile. 

‘I think- I think it is right… there are just... nuances that- well that don’t feel completely right yet.’

Obi-Wan hummed. He sounded almost exactly like Luke in that particular moment. 

‘That is understandable, and you should endeavour to amend those problems. But, Luke, as someone who’s been in a similar situation… _don’t wait too long-_ if back then, the Order hadn’t been as strict… well things may have ended up quite different’, Obi-Wan explained, a wistful, slightly remorseful tone in his voice. Luke nodded in understanding. 

Obi-Wan turned to Din who had been standing next to Luke, his eyes flitting back and forth between the two Jedi, barely understanding what was going on. 

‘I am glad to see that Grogu has survived. You have done well, young Mandalorian. Grogu is right to love his father the way he does’, he said. Din felt his chest swell at the Jedi’s words. ‘I would tell you the same that I have just told Luke. _Don’t_ wait too long for the things you want to achieve. The future is uncertain, ever for the Jedi. If you want something, ask for it and you may even receive it. Love selflessly and you will find what you desire.’

Din stared at the hologram-like appearance for a while, unsure of what to make of the man’s speech. Some parts of it had resonated with him while others were… more than a little unclear. 

‘I- thank you, Master Kenobi’, he said. 

‘I did say he likes speaking in riddles’, Luke said, leaning towards Din a bit. Obi-Wan laughed. 

‘Well, giving advice is different from giving you exact instructions on how to live your life. It is my duty to guide you and the next generation of the Jedi. It is not my place to dictate how you should live. That should no longer be the Jedi Way.’

‘Thank you for the advice, Master’, Luke answered. He smiled at his master with warmth and Din could see how glad he was to see Obi-Wan. 

Obi-Wan nodded serenely and Din could see that his outline had been fading slowly but surely. 

‘May the force be with you’, the voice of Obi-Wan Kenobi echoed through the jungle as the ghost had already dissipated. Luke stared into the distance for a few moments, a wistful longing on his face. 

‘He was cryptic’, Din finally said. Luke turned to him and smiled lopsidedly. 

‘He sure is. Always has been. You usually understand what he means when you’re standing right in front of the problem.’

‘That’s helpful’, Din commented. 

‘He always is... we really need to get to some saber training in the next few days’, Luke said, smirking up at Din, who still had a hand on his back. 

‘I’m looking forward to it’, Din said. 

‘So am I. Now, come on, I’m hungry and I don’t want to deprive Grogu of his beloved fatherany longer’, Luke answered, stepping away from Din and reaching for his bare hand again, knitting their fingers together. They fit like they were made for each other as they made their way back to the temple.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks so much for reading!!! let me know what you thought!!  
> the obi-wan cameo was just bound to happen, this man is literally my favourite star wars character and there was no way in hell that i wasnt going to find a way to include him in this fic. am i currently bending all the rules of the force afterlife? probably. do i care? no.  
> listen, I made obi wan look young for one reason and one reason only: self indulgence. If anakin can be his hot twinky young self and not the burnt chicken nugget vader in the force afterlife, obi-wan can be flirty clone wars obi-wan. Excuse the excessive description of obi-wan’s beautiful face, I’m a weak bitch. i was legitimately this close to describing his hair as lucious because it truly is, but i felt like that would have been a bit much, so i did manage to show some restraint.  
> if you want to talk to me, my tumblr is @mandalourian


	19. Home, Sweet Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Luke and Din finally arrive at the temple.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi yall!! i hope you enjoy today's chapter! they finally made it back home im so proud wow

The first thing that Din saw when he and Luke finally stepped out of the confusing maze that were the entrance tunnels to the temple, was the beautiful clearing and the pond with flowers. He felt a warm rush of  _ home  _ flow through him. The second thing he saw was Grogu and his heart leaped in his chest. Grogu was running toward him as fast as his tiny legs could carry him and Din immediately dropped to his knees, using the hand that wasn’t still holding Luke’s to reach out to Grogu.

‘Hey kid’, he said, his voice thick with unshed tears. Grogu ran into Din’s arms and he immediately scooped him up with one arm, pressing his son close to his chest and feeling like he could breathe easier. He hadn’t allowed himself to think about how much he truly missed Grogu, and thus he only now realised the extent of his longing. Grogu curled his tiny fingers into the fabric of Din’s clothes tightly, and Din could feel that he’d missed him just as much. There was a strange sort of mix of serenity and happiness running through him. With Grogu in his arms, he was truly at home. With Luke’s hand in his, his home felt that much brighter. 

As if Grogu could read his mind, which, Din reflected, he could in some capacity at least, the child in his arms looked up into his visor. He cocked his head at him and Luke, his eyes obviously flitting towards their held hands. 

‘Force, he looks exactly like you when you’re contemplating something’, Luke said, laughing at Grogu’s expression. He wasn’t taking his hand away. 

Confused, Din turned to look at Luke, cocking his head on instinct. Luke burst out laughing, his free hand resting over his heart. 

‘Luke- you’ve seen both of our faces. We look nothing alike’, Din said, still confused. Luke squeezed his hand and looked at Din and Grogu, who were both staring at him. 

‘That- pfft- that’s not what I meant. I meant your mannerisms. No wonder it was so easy for me to pick up on your expressions, they’re very similar to Grogu’s’, Luke explained, a dazzlingly bright smile on his face. Din felt slightly unbalanced when met with the full force of the star that was Luke Skywalker grinning brightly. 

‘Oh’, Din said, turning back to Grogu, who was looking up at him again from Din’s arm. ‘Well, like father, like son, huh kid?’

Grogu brabbled happily and Din felt himself smile so much his cheeks hurt. 

‘I’ll go tell the droids to drag in the supplies and ready dinner’, Luke said, squeezing Din’s hand one last time. ‘I’ll see you in a bit.’

Din looked up from Grogu and nodded to Luke, running his thumb over the back of Luke’s hand before letting go. Luke smiled at him again and turned to leave and Din stopped himself from watching him walk away after a few seconds of longing glances. 

‘Okay kid, what did you do while I was away?’, Din asked, turning back to Grogu, grasping the little guy with both of his hands softly and making his way towards the pond to sit down on a large stone with Grogu in his lap. 

‘Glblbgrah’, Grogu said, waving his arms around. Din nodded wisely. 

‘I see. Very interesting.’

‘Bllbafffb.’

‘Really? That’s amazing, kid.’

‘Braguh?’

‘Me? Well, we did a lot of stuff. Master Skywalker got eaten by a leviathan grub, but then he climbed out of it, so he’s fine’, Din said, brushing thoughtfully over one of Grogu’s ears. 

‘Master Skywalker got eaten?’, a voice from behind one of the larger stones came. Din quickly saw that it was Nava, who was followed by Gaeton, Nil and Tionne, who looked a bit startled and worried. Nava just looked fascinated. 

‘Hey kids’, Din said. 

‘Hey Mr. The Mandalorian’, Nava greeted. Tionne nodded and Nil and Gaeton kept behind her. 

‘Master Skywalker is fine, he just had to improvise. Your teacher is a very strong Jedi, so you don’t need to uhh… worry about that.’

‘Master Skywalker is the strongest!’, Tionne said proudly. ‘He took all of us in when the bad people came.’

Din frowned. 

‘I didn’t- I didn’t know that’, he admitted.

‘Master Skywalker found us in a refugee camp’, Tionne explained, reaching out to hold Gaeton’s and Nil’s hand. Din felt a cold shudder run down his back. 

‘I’m- I’m sorry. I’m very glad he found you’, he said quietly. Tionne, who Din guessed was about 12 years old, nodded again. 

‘Did Master Skywalker’s fake hand get eaten by the grub?’, Nava asked, their eyes glinting. 

‘No. But he did need to have it fixed because of the slime’, Din admitted. 

‘Ewww’, Nava said happily.  _ What a strange kid, _ Din thought.  _ I like them. _

Grogu on his lap wiggled around a bit and Din immediately turned his full attention back to his son. 

‘Grublb?’, Grogu asked. 

‘I’m fine’, Din assured him. 

‘Wow, how did you do that?’, Tionne asked, surprised. ‘I thought you didn’t understand him?’

‘I don’t’, Din answered, confused. 

‘But he just asked you if you were alright and you understood him’, she said, sounding fascinated. 

‘I mean… I guess I understand him- sometimes. When it’s important. He knows how to get what he wants so- if he really wants me to understand him then I guess- I can?’, Din explained, looking at Grogu who was currently wrapping his tiny hands around Din’s fingers. Din died a little on the inside. 

‘Did you see Master Organa?’, Nil asked, tentatively peeking his head out behind Tionne. Din nodded. 

‘And Mr. Solo?’, Nil continued, now obviously interested. Din nodded again. 

‘Did you also meet Chewbacca??’, Nava asked, jumping up and down in excitement. ‘Did he say anything about me?’

‘I-I did meet him, but not for long. He- didn’t say anything about you, I’m sorry kid. He was too busy hugging Luke- I mean Master Skywalker’, Din said. Nava didn’t seem dejected in the least.

‘I can’t wait for Chewbacca to visit again, he gives the best hugs!’, Nava exclaimed and Gaeton nodded along enthusiastically. 

‘...sure’, Din said, a bit unsure as to what he was supposed to say to that. 

Grogu tugged on his fingers and Din looked back into his lap and started softly brushing one of Grogu’s ears again, which seemed to satisfy the kid. Din felt at peace as the kids around him settled down on the ground and began telling him what they’d been up to during the few days in which Luke and he had been gone. 

They were just in the middle of an impassioned reenactment of how they had been teaching Gaeton how to swim, when Din saw movement out of the side of his visor. He glanced there and saw Luke standing at the edge of the courtyard, his arms crossed and leaning against a column with a longing, warm smile on his face. He was watching the scene unfold with obvious mirth dancing on his beautiful lips, a wistful look on his face. Din didn’t move his head in Luke’s direction, but he kept glancing back at Luke, until finally he caught Luke’s gaze straight on him and a flash of electricity ran through him. Luke was regarding him with an intense gaze of longing. There was something unnamed in his gaze, something that made Din’s fingertips tingle, his toes curl, his ears turn pink and his throat run dry. He held Luke’s gaze for a while, not wanting to look away from those blue eyes that made him feel so many things he never thought he was capable of feeling. 

After several heady moments, Luke pushed himself off the column and made his way towards the group, walking so quietly that none of the kids heard him. All the while, he didn’t break eye contact with Din. The closer Luke got, the more Din could make out how red his ears were. 

‘Well, you’ve certainly had some interesting adventures’, Luke said, finally looking away from Din, who was still reeling. 

The kids twirled around in excitement and jumped up from where they had been sitting on the ground to run to Luke. The Jedi had kneeled on the ground and gladly received the hugs that the kids were giving him. Din felt his heart swell at the sight. 

‘Hello everyone’, Luke said, patting Nava’s head and ruffling through Nil’s fluffy dark hair. 

‘Welcome back, Master Skywalker!’, Tionne said, her grin wide. 

‘I see you’ve kept them well Miss Tionne’, Luke said, putting on a face that reminded Din of the fatherly expression that Obi-Wan had regarded Luke with. 

‘Of course I did, Master Skywalker!’, Tionne agreed, nodding sagely. Then she dropped the facade and ran into Luke’s outstretched arms to give him a tight hug which he gladly accepted. 

‘Well done, Tionne. I’m proud of you’, Luke said, a bit more quietly. Din instinctively pulled Grogu a bit closer, hugging his own child. Grogu garbled happily. 

Luke turned to Gaeton who stretched their hands out. This apparently was enough for Luke to know what was going on, since he immediately scooped Gaeton up in his arms, lifting the kid up to settle them on his side, steadying them with his one arm easily. 

‘If you’d all come to have dinner, you can tell me all about what you did this week!’, Luke said, smiling warmly. 

‘Will you tell us why you got eaten?’, Nava asked excitedly. 

‘Maybe I will’, Luke said, shooting Din a fond glance that made something in his chest bloom in response. 

Nava squealed happily and grabbed Nil’s hand excitedly. The young boy seemed equally excited. 

‘Maybe Din- I mean  _ Mr. The Mandalorian _ will even tell you the story of how we met the legendary Master Kenobi’, Luke continued, winking at Din. Din couldn’t help but grin underneath his helmet. 

‘Maybe’, Din said. 

‘Come on, then, everyone. Let’s head to dinner’, Luke said, stretching out a hand for Din to take. Din took it and together, five children, a Jedi and a Mandalorian went inside the temple. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks so much for reading! let me know your thoughts   
> if you want to talk to me my tumblr is as always @mandalourian


	20. Respite

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Jedi Temple returns to normalcy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi everyone! i hope you enjoy today's chapter! i can't believe this thing that I started out as something that would have 5 chapters at most has hit 20 chapters... im amazed.   
> i can't quite guarantee that i'll be able to upload tomorrow, since uni and work has started again for me, but i will do my best. if i cant get a chapter out tomorrow, you'll definitely get one on wednesday!

Din quickly became accustomed to living in the temple. He stopped counting days quite as much, but if he had, he would have realised that he had been at the temple for about two months when Luke finally approached him with his lightsaber in his hand. 

Now, Din had often wondered why Luke never initiated the promised lightsaber training until then, but since the other had been extremely busy ever since they returned, there wasn’t really any time to ask him. It felt… well it felt like Luke had been drawing back ever since they’d returned from their trip to Phindar and Din had no idea why. On the first night, everything had seemed wonderful. They had just sent the children to sleep and Grogu had fallen asleep when Luke turned to Din. 

‘Would you like to take your supper with you to the room? I could carry it along while you carry Grogu and then leave you two to rest’, he asked. 

‘You’ve sent everyone to sleep and the droids are gone as well?’, Din retorted. Luke nodded. Then Din shrugged and carefully, doing his best to not disturb the sleeping child in his arms, he took off his helmet. Luke’s eyes widened and then immediately crinkled as he smiled brightly. 

‘I wasn’t counting on having the pleasure of seeing your face again so soon’, he said, his voice a low whisper. Din blushed, which only made Luke’s grin grow wider. 

‘I don’t like eating in bed’, Din mumbled, which was the flimsiest excuse he’d ever come up with. He just wanted to see if Luke still looked at him as interestedly as he first did when he’d taken off his helmet in front of the Jedi. 

Luke certainly looked interested. At least, that was one word for it. His eyes were flitting from Din’s eyes to his nose to his messy hair, to his lips while the other was eating, drinking in the sight in front of him. 

‘You do have very nice eyes’, Luke whispered, almost to himself. In fact, had the room not been so empty, Din probably wouldn’t have heard it. He did hear it and he felt himself flush. 

‘Uh.. thank you. You too. I mean your eyes- they’re pretty’, he stammered, staring down at his food. Luke chuckled and reached out his hand to take Din’s free one. On instinct, Din immediately intertwined his fingers with Luke’s and he began to stare at their intertwined fingers. He realised that he hadn’t remembered to put his glove back on. 

‘Thank you’, Luke said, his voice low, washing over Din like a wave of warmth. Din kept resolutely staring at their locked hands because he was sure that as soon as he looked up, he would be caught in Luke’s startlingly blue eyes and he needed to compose himself a bit before that happened. 

So instead, he focussed on their hands, noted how strong and calloused Luke’s hands were and how Luke’s lighter skin contrasted so nicely with Din’s tan. Luke had started running his thumb gently over Din’s skin, sending small sparks of electricity up Din’s arm. Din tried his best to suppress thoughts of using Luke’s hand to pull him across the table and kiss him in the middle of the dining hall. Luke’s grip on his hand became a bit tighter. 

Finally, after taking a deep breath, Din looked up and he was once again caught in the impossible sparkle of Luke’s eyes, the brightness of his smile, the soft curve of his lips. Din thought after spending so much time locked in place while looking at Luke’s face, he would be used to it, but staring into Luke’s eyes still felt as exhilarating as it did just a week ago, just that there was a degree of familiarity to it now. 

_ I’ve only spent a week with him, _ Din thought. And then, because he couldn’t help himself, he chuckled. Luke cocked his head to the side in confusion. 

‘I was just- thinking’, Din said, a bit breathlessly because Luke’s eyes on his always left him reeling. ‘I’ve only really known you for a week- but it feels like much longer.’

Luke’s smile got even warmer and Din thought it would’ve been fine to live in this specific moment forever. 

‘I agree’, Luke whispered, leaning a bit closer, resting his head on his prosthetic hand. ‘I feel like I’ve known you for years- you’re quite special, Din Djarin.’

Din almost scoffed. 

‘I’m just your average bounty hunter’, he said, frowning a bit. Luke vehemently shook his head. 

‘No, Din. You’re- well in the end everyone in this galaxy is their own unique person, but to me- to  _ us  _ at least, you’re special’, Luke interjected, nodding at Grogu, who was soundly asleep, clinging to the strap of Din’s baby satchel. ‘You’re- I- You  _ are  _ special. It’s been a long time since I’ve met someone who I could… talk to like I can talk to you- who I can trust the way that I trust you. Before you- I never would have fallen asleep like that. I don’t think I’ve ever quite felt what I feel with you around.’

For a moment, Din was speechless. He couldn’t do anything but stare at Luke in amazement, until he gathered his wits enough to open his mouth.

‘I- you’re much better at expressing this stuff but… I feel the same’, he croaked, his voice seemingly refusing to cooperate properly. 

‘I’m very glad you do’, Luke said, the tone of his voice betraying his vulnerability. ‘I- I care for you a great deal, Din.’

‘I care for you too, Luke’, Din answered, leaning forwards a bit, abandoning his finished dishes on the table. The two men stared at each other for a few moments longer. Din’s mind flashed with images of Luke smiling throughout the last few days, with imaginative scenarios of pulling Luke in to kiss him behind a pillar, of Luke waking him up with a soft peck, of staying with Luke and not leaving this homely planet anymore, of staying out of the whims of the galaxy forever. 

‘We should- we should head to bed’, Luke said, interrupting Din’s train of thought. He squeezed Din’s hand one last time and then let go, gathering Din’s dishes and depositing them in a basket for the droids to wash tomorrow. Din’s hand suddenly felt cold. 

‘If you don’t mind- you don’t have to, of course, I’d let you into my quarters. I have a bigger bed and, I- I’ll join you in a while… I have some work to get done’, Luke explained, his back still to Din, putting away the kids’ dishes neatly. 

‘I could stay up with you-’

‘It’s fine. I just have to study some texts and meditate. I promise I won’t wake you’, Luke said, turning around with a serene smile on his face, even though it didn’t fully reach his eyes. 

‘Alright’, Din said, unsure what exactly had happened. 

After he’d put his helmet back on and deposited a still sleeping Grogu in the pouch on his hips, Luke led him deeper into the tunnels of the temple, to a room adjacent to the large hall that Din had found on his first morning. The little blue droid was fussing with something to one side of the hall as they passed, beeping in greeting as Luke waved at him. 

‘Here you go’, he said once they had entered the room. Luke had been right, his bed was bigger than Din’s cot in his own room. The entire place was slightly bigger as well, decorated only very sparsely. There was a holopic on a small table that depicted Luke, quite a bit younger than he was now, his arms wrapped around Han’s and Leia’s shoulders, with Chewbacca the Wookie on Han’s other side. The droid C-3PO and R2 were standing next to Leia and all seven of them were surrounded by small, hairy creatures with large eyes and spears and drums. Everyone was smiling and there were fireworks going off over the forest in the background, filling the night sky. 

‘That was taken on Endor’, Luke explained as he noticed Din inspecting the holopic. ‘Shortly after the fall of the Empire.’

Din nodded. 

‘I heard of that. Impressive’, he said for lack of a better word. 

Luke chuckled lowly and patted him on the arm. He walked a few steps towards a wall that was covered in shelves and shelves filled with books and datapads, pulling out a few and stacking them in his arms. 

‘I’ll be in the hall, I have a few things to finish up’, he explained. ‘I will join you when I’m done.’

Din nodded and set down Grogu on the bed, taking off his helmet and putting it carefully on the nightstand. Luke watched him intently and before he headed out of the door he came to stand in front of Din. His expression was unreadable as he looked at Din. 

‘Good night’, he said lowly, and leaned in, standing up on the tips of his toes to press a quick kiss to Din’s cheek. Din’s face burst out in a brilliant blush and his heart was racing at a hundred miles per hour, unable to fully comprehend what had just happened. 

‘Go-good night’, he stammered. Luke sent him a sweet smile, although it seemed a bit longing and turned around, shutting the door behind him and leaving Din alone with a sleeping Grogu and his thoughts. 

Alone was how Din spent most of his nights during the following months. Luke had completely thrown himself into research, training and some secret project that he told Din he couldn’t talk about. It wasn’t that Luke didn’t talk to Din anymore, he very much did and Din treasured every second of it, but the other always stayed up later than Din and joined him sometime during the night, falling asleep instantly and getting up early to return to training his students and pouring over books and datapads. 

Din had enough to do as well. Since Luke was so busy, he’d tasked Din with making sure the kids were well taken care of while he was busy doing something else, so Din spent most of his time either watching over the kids, listening to Nava tell him and Grogu their fantastic stories, or making sure that the temple was secure. He only really saw Luke at mealtimes and then they were both unable to do more than just smile at each other over the loud voices of the kids. 

It wasn’t… bad per se. Din felt happier and more at home than he had felt in a long time, maybe even more than he  _ ever  _ had. He had Grogu and he could put all his focus on monitoring his son’s progress and there was always a swell of pride flowing through him when he saw his foundling hover a rock over to him. 

He missed Luke, he truly did, but he understood that the other was just… busy. That being the hope for the future of the Jedi just… required times like these, where he had precious little time for anyone but the books on his desk. 

But nevertheless, when Luke finally walked up to him with his lightsaber drawn, his heart leapt up in his chest. 

‘Would you have some time for training, Din?’, Luke asked when he came to a halt in front of Din who had been sitting on a stone next to the pond, cleaning his spear of beskar. 

‘Of course, Master Skywalker’, Din said, not doing anything to hide the anticipation in his voice. Luke smiled at him, a twinkle in his eyes. 

‘Right this way then, Padawan Djarin’, he said, reaching out a hand for Din to take and pulling him up from the stone. Din laughed. 

‘I  _ am  _ older than you, you know that, right?’, Din joked. 

‘Only by a few years’, Luke shot back. ‘And I do think the whole ‘blowing up a death star at 19 years old gives me a certain… let’s call it experience.’

‘Fair enough’, Din said. 

Luke smiled and pulled him towards a side of the temple that Din hadn’t been in yet. They had grown quite accustomed to holding hands in the past two months. It was strange for Din who so rarely had anyone touch him to reach out and just… hold Luke’s hand without having to give himself an internal pep talk, but the Jedi simply exuded this aura of comfort that allowed Din to feel at ease. 

‘So, the secret project I wouldn’t tell you about’, Luke started. Din turned his head to look at him. ‘I had to clear out one of the larger halls. There was a lot of collapsed rubble and overgrown stones and all that.’

‘Why?’

‘Ahh, I thought it would be best if we had as much space as possible. For now, Tionne is the only one who is getting fighting lessons with me, since the others are far too young for anything but simple drills. And she’s still quite young, so we don’t need that much space. But us… well, I thought it might be nice to have a larger, secluded space where we can train in peace while the children are playing and doing their homework’, Luke explained, turning around a corner. 

The hall that they walked into was even larger than what Luke used as his study. It was similarly decorated, with tall columns framing the outside and a large glass window in the ceiling, letting in slightly yellow tinted sunlight. There was green and lilac moss growing on the columns and on the walls, and lianas of bright blue flowers hung around the room. The flowers reminded Din of Luke’s eyes when he was telling the children about the force or when he recounted his days with Obi-Wan or Master Yoda to Din. 

The walls were covered in writing that Din couldn’t read and faded paintings of fights against what seemed like Leviathan Grub. Someone, Luke presumably, had cleared out the rubble so that the center of the room was clear and the warm yellow light shone onto the sandstone floor. 

‘Here we are, then’, Luke said, stepping into the hall. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks so much for reading, let me know what you thought!!  
> i did the timeskip because i think it's important for a relationship to sort of... settle, especially because i don't want to take away from Luke's and Din's personal lives that don't involve each other because i think that's important in a healthy relationship and i really want these two to have that. i have some interesting things planned for Din and his... let's call it personal growth in the future.  
> as always, feel free to talk to me, my tumblr is @mandalourian


	21. Training

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Luke trains Din to use the darksaber

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi yall!! it's finally time for some lightsaber training!!!! i hope you enjoy!!!

‘It looks beautiful’, Din said, still in awe of the little capsule of tranquility that was the hall that Luke had cleared out. 

‘I’m glad you think so. If all goes well, we’ll spend quite some time in here’, Luke replied, pulling Din into the center of the room. Din’s heart swelled at the familiarity of the gesture. Over the past few months he’d stopped wearing his gloves quite so much, enjoying how Luke would absentmindedly grasp his hand, fiddle with Din’s knuckles, run his thumbs over Din’s skin or just simply let their intertwined hands swing back and forth between them. 

‘So you’ve been working on this for two months?’, Din asked. ‘You could’ve asked me to help you.’

‘I know. And I was going to, but then- well, I saw how busy you were looking after the children… and you just seemed- right at home there’, Luke explained. ‘It always takes me ages to get Gaeton to eat anything but if  _ you  _ spoon feed them, they immediately eat.’

‘I do have some experience’, Din joked, running his thumb over Luke’s fingers. The other looked up at him with one of his soft smiles that Din treasured so much. 

‘You do. You’re a very good and caring father, Din. I admire that about you.’

Din just managed not to sputter. 

‘I- uh- I just… had to learn it? I think this is the bare minimum for people with children’, he said, clearing his throat awkwardly. 

‘It should be. But you do a good job. You fit in very well here, Din. I’m very glad to have you around’, Luke said, stepping a bit closer and dropping his voice to a whisper. Din couldn’t help but stare at Luke’s face. It was ridiculous that in a hall as new and as beautiful as the one that the two men were standing in, the most enchanting thing to look at was still Luke’s easy smile and his slightly rosy cheeks. 

‘Thank you, I-I’m glad to be here’, Din whispered. Luke squeezed his hand and Din could see his eyes flick downwards to their intertwined fingers. He closed his eyes for a moment and his expression became serene. 

‘Alright. Lightsabers’, Luke started, opening his eyes and stepping back from Din, walking over to a column and placing his long dark grey mantle over a stone that was leaning against it. 

‘You can put down your other weapons over here’, Luke said, waving him over. Din leaned his beskar staff against the column, leaving his blaster on top of Luke’s clothes. 

‘You’ve fought against the darksaber before, right?’, Luke asked. Din nodded. 

‘With the beskar staff’, he explained. 

‘That is one of the few things that can withstand a lightsaber. Alright, then let’s start out simple.’

Luke drew his lightsaber with an elegant motion, reminding Din how capable this man was. This man, who spent most of his time pouring over books with his hair sticking up into all directions and giving mostly pacifist advice to children he took in from a refugee camp, was one of the most powerful beings in the galaxy. Din thought that he probably shouldn’t find that quite as attractive as he did. 

‘I can’t teach you to wield the saber like a Jedi would. You’re not trained in the ways of the Jedi and you’re not force-sensitive. But I can teach you how to defend yourself and attack when faced with someone who is’, Luke said, straightening his back and slipping into his Jedi Master routine. 

‘That’s already quite a lot’, Din commented. Luke smirked. 

‘Well then. I’d like you to come at me with all your strength. Don’t worry about hurting me.’

Din swallowed. 

‘Are you-’

‘Din. Trust me. Draw your saber and attack me’, Luke assured, giving him a confident smile. 

‘Alright. You asked for this’, Din mumbled. 

With a deep breath, he drew the darksaber and turned it on. He fixed Luke with a stare, gathering his wits and dropping into a fighting stance. In an instant, he started running towards Luke, prepared to strike him with the full force his arms could muster. But when he hit where Luke had been just seconds before, his strike only passed through air. Luke had elegantly side-stepped his attack and was behind him now. He hadn’t even bothered to turn on his lightsaber. 

‘That was quite forceful’, Luke said. ‘If I hadn’t moved that could’ve hurt. Try again.’

Din grumbled and grasped his saber a bit tighter, whirling around to attack Luke again. Luke evaded all of his strikes, over and over again, one of his hands resting on his back, the other twirling his lightsaber. 

‘When you’re facing an opponent like me who can evade you so easily, don’t put too much force into your blows. They’re trying to tire you’, Luke commented as Din struck the air close to his shoulder. 

Din was both slightly frustrated at his inability to hit Luke and slightly fascinated by the ease and the grace of Luke’s movements. 

‘I  _ will  _ get you to draw the lightsaber’, he said. Luke smiled. 

‘I have no doubt that you will.’

Din’s heart swelled a bit at the praise and he closed his eyes again, taking a deep breath. He opened them again and scrutinized Luke from under his helmet. Realizing that Luke wouldn’t be forced to draw his lightsaber through brute force, Din tried to think of a different approach. 

‘I need to take off the cloak’, Din said, quickly walking over to the stash of weapons. Luke only nodded and idly picked the only speck of dirt off of his polished boots. While the other was distracted, Din took off his cloak, slipping his blaster into the holster and returning to Luke. 

‘Ready?’, he asked. Luke nodded, his lightsaber still turned off. Din grinned. 

With practiced ease, he grabbed the blaster from its holster, aiming for Luke’s shoulder. Luke, with surprise painted all over his face, did the expected and evaded with an elegant side-step to the right. Din had been counting on that. He lit his darksaber, stepping into Luke’s way and bearing down on the arm twirling his lightsaber. A broad grin spread over Luke’s face as the bright green lightsaber was lit and expertly blocked Din’s attack. 

‘M-made you light it’, Din said, a bit out of breath. Luke’s grin got a bit darker and Din felt a shudder run down his spine. 

‘So you did. Are you prepared to deal with the consequences?’, Luke said, his voice unfairly low and enticing. Din wanted to rip off his helmet and kiss him. 

‘Su-sure’, he croaked back. Luke only kept grinning for a while and Din thought he was going to die from the tension, when Luke suddenly moved. 

Luke had the grace of a cat as he launched a flurry of attacks that Din only just managed to block with his own saber. He was absolutely beautiful as he twirled in front of Din, a deadly dance unfurling that had Din on his toes trying his best to block every single blow. Din suspected that Luke was pulling his punches heavily. After seeing Luke take down an entire platoon of dark troopers, Din had no reservations about the fact that the Jedi could fry him alive if he wanted to. 

Luke was a flurry of dark clothes, sandy hair, bright blue eyes filled with mirth and a fire that made something in Din’s chest ache and bright green light. He pressed Din further and further backwards, every attack prompting Din to take another step backwards to compensate for the blows that Luke was unleashing. 

Maybe it was the fact that Luke was so much more adept at using his saber than Din was, maybe it was that Luke’s grin ignited a singular focus in Din’s mind that completely made him forget about his surroundings, but after a good five minutes of being ruthlessly attacked by the skilled Jedi in front of him, Din suddenly felt cold stone at his back and before he could think, he was pressed against one of the columns of the hall, his dark saber blocking Luke’s lightsaber. The black and the green were framing Luke’s face with a V-like cross. Din could barely breathe. Luke was staring up at him with such fierceness in his eyes that Din felt himself go weak in the knees. 

‘I win’, Luke whispered, his voice rough. It was only contributing to Din’s weak knees. Din was speechless. His entire thought process had stopped the second that Luke had pinned him against the column. His head was empty, the only recurring thought was Luke, Luke,  _ Luke. _

‘Good fight’, the other continued, not stepping back from Din. Din was grateful. He didn’t want Luke to leave and take away his warmth and this heady feeling that was stopping his higher brain functions. He didn’t want to lose sight of that look in Luke’s eyes. If Luke stepped away, Din worried that his knees would give out and he would simply topple to the ground and melt into a puddle because the man in front of him was too beautiful and too capable. 

‘Y-you too’, Din finally said. Luke’s smile got a bit sweeter. 

‘I was being a bit unfair’, he admitted. ‘But the blaster was good thinking. Use your entire arsenal of abilities. There are some people who use the force to fight that get… cocky and ignore all other weapons. That’s a weakness you can exploit.’

Din nodded, trying his best to take mental notes but his brain was still turned off due to Luke’s proximity. He took a deep breath to steady his nerves and Luke let up the pressure and stepped back, turning his lightsaber off. Din followed suit with his darksaber, still a bit unbalanced. He was sure that the mental image of Luke pinning him against a column would be one that he wasn’t going to get rid of all that quickly. 

‘Y-you’re very strong’, Din said, immediately mentally facepalming. Luke chuckled. 

‘Thank you. You’re quite ingenious’, he answered. 

‘I’m just used to situations where I’m outmatched. You learn to play a bit dirty.’

‘There’s a difference between playing dirty in a way that’s malicious and in a way that’s clever. Using your opponent’s tactics against them and making use of all the weapons at your disposal is fighting smart, not dirty’, Luke said, running a hand through his hair. 

‘Are you ready for round two?’, Luke asked once he was done messing with his hair. ‘This time I’ll go a bit easier so you get the hang of it.’

‘Ready when you are.’

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks so much for reading, let me know what you thought!   
> i just had to go for the getting pinned against a wall with a sword by the person you like because i, too am gay and if a girl ever did that to me i would most likely die. so i had to torment din with it too   
> feel free to talk to me, my tumblr is @mandalourian


	22. Domesticity

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A normal day at the New Jedi Temple.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi everyone!! i hope you enjoy today's chapter, i had a lot of fun writing it!

Luke’s lightsaber training was strenuous to say the least. The Jedi didn’t bother pulling his punches, always keeping Din on his toes. It was exhausting to be constantly beaten by Luke, to parry his lightning-fast blows for hours on end. 

That being said, it was also one of Din’s favourite pastimes. Luke’s pure strength and agility never got old and Din would never tire of looking at the other man in awe whenever he drew his lightsaber and put on a concentrated expression with the slightest of smirks. He would also never tire of Luke’s little proud expressions whenever Din managed to think of something particularly ingenious that had Luke parry in earnest. 

‘You’re getting the hang of this’, Luke praised, on the tenth day of their saber training. ‘A week ago you wouldn’t have been able to block that.’

‘I do have a good teacher’, Din answered, panting. Luke’s smile was brilliant. 

‘Don’t sell yourself short, Din.’

Din only chuckled, drawing his staff and dropping into a fighting stance. 

‘I see you’re ready to go again’, Luke commented. ‘Come on, then.’

They traded blows for a bit longer, Din using his beskar staff to attack Luke when his darksaber was blocked, earning him a few appreciative glances and nods from Luke that only fueled the giddiness he always felt when he was fighting Luke. 

‘Alright, that’s enough for today’, Luke said after he’d knocked the staff out of Din’s hand and pinned him against the wall. Again. Din wasn’t complaining. 

Luke stepped back, picking up a towel that he’d brought along, wiping some sweat off of his brow while Din took a look around to double check that no one but Luke was around. He couldn’t spot anyone, so he took off his helmet and used his own towel. He rubbed it over his flattened hair, trying to get it dry. 

‘You look like you were hit by lightning’, Luke said, giggling. ‘Come here.’

Din walked over to Luke, lowering his head slightly so Luke didn’t have to stand on his toes to reach his head comfortably. 

The Jedi reached out his hands to smooth over Din’s hair, parting the dark brown strands on the side and pushing the longer pieces behind Din’s ears softly. Din’s entire body was buzzing with energy. Luke’s hands were so  _ soft, _ so gentle and he seemed to have lost track of what he was doing, since his one hand was sliding down to cradle Din’s face gently and Din felt like he was about to melt. Luke’s hand was warm and soft and he ran his thumb over the stubble on Din’s chin. Din could only close his eyes, revelling in the soft touches. 

‘Your beard is scratchy’, Luke’s voice reached Din through layers and layers of soft fluff. 

‘Beards tend to be that’, he answered, not opening his eyes. Luke didn’t withdraw his hands either. 

‘I’ve never tried growing one’, Luke whispered, his voice almost awed. Din opened his eyes slightly. Luke’s face was so open and there was such unbridled affection and warmth in his smile that Din almost leaned in to kiss him. He didn’t, because he was a coward. 

‘You’d look good with a beard’, Din mumbled, leaning his head closer into the other’s hand. He was almost nuzzling it, but since Luke didn’t seem to be complaining, Din didn’t really think about it too much. 

‘You think?’, Luke asked, his thumb tracing patterns onto Din’s cheek. 

‘You’d look good in anything’, Din answered, not even thinking about his answer. It was the truth, after all. Luke looked beautiful in everything from his signature black outfit to that awful sand-coloured poncho. 

‘I would never achieve the same mysterious scruffy charme that you have’, Luke said, his voice so low it classified as a whisper. Din didn’t know how to answer that, he couldn’t think with Luke so close, the heady smell of the soap that Luke used filling his breath, Luke’s lips so near to his own. His brain seemed to shut down whenever the Jedi came close, and Luke had never touched Din’s face before. It sent him reeling in a completely new way, making him slightly unbalanced in the most intoxicating manner. 

‘Luke-’

‘Din, I-’, they both started at the same time. Luke chuckled breathlessly. 

‘You first’, he whispered, his eyes flitting between Din’s eyes and his lips. 

‘I- okay. Luke, I-’, Din started, but Luke pulled his hand away from Din’s face like he was burnt. 

‘Someone’s coming’, Luke hissed, force-lifting Din’s helmet into his hands and handing it to him. On instinct, Din put the helmet on immediately, getting out his blaster, just in case. Luke had turned away from him, a hand on his lightsaber. Both of them were watching the only entrance to the hall. 

With a beep, R2 rounded the corner. Luke visibly relaxed but Din couldn’t help but curse the metal trashcan. They had been so close to- something. Din hadn’t known what he wanted to tell Luke just then, but the moment had felt… profound. Important. And the bloody droid had interrupted them. 

‘R2, what’s the matter?’, Luke asked. Din wasn’t a hundred percent sure, but his tone seemed a bit disappointed as well.

The droid beeped a few times. 

‘Nava did what?’, Luke asked, incredulous. 

‘What happened?’, Din interjected, now worried. 

‘Nava- they apparently dyed their hair with something from the kitchen and now the droids are complaining that everything is pink’, Luke said, suppressing a giggle. 

‘Nava dyed their hair pink? That’s all?’

Luke laughed. Din couldn’t help but chortle a bit. 

‘Apparently’, Luke said, shaking his head in fond exasperation. ‘We should probably get over there. But next time, R2. Please beep before you come in here… just in case.’

Din nodded and the two of them gathered their things and headed towards the kitchen. 

The scene that they found there looked… well it looked like someone with incredibly pink blood had been murdered. The two kitchen droids were fussing over the colour on the floor while the five kids were standing to the side. Din automatically fixed his eyes on Grogu, dropping to his knees to pick up his son and inspect him for any injuries. 

‘Why are there small pink handprints all over my kitchen?’, Luke asked, turning to Tionne. 

Tionne turned to Nava. 

‘Why are there small pink handprints all over Master Skywalker’s kitchen?’

‘Because I have small hands’, Nava answered. 

Tionne turned back to Luke. 

‘Because they have small hands.’

Luke was obviously trying his best to suppress a grin, but Din could see the corners of his mouth twitch with amusement. Din chuckled lowly and turned back to the child in his arms. 

Grogu babbled happily, reaching out his small fingers to Din’s helmet. He seemed fine. He was wiggling around a bit and finally pointed his small fingers proudly towards one of the fuzzy hairs on his head when Din finally noticed it. 

Three streaks of fuzzy hair on Grogu’s head were bright pink now. They weren’t particularly noticeable, but they were certainly there. 

‘Grogu’s hair is pink’, he commented. Luke, who had walked over to the other younglings chuckled. 

‘He’s not the only one’, he said. Din looked up and saw that all five kids had varying degrees of pink in their hair. Nava’s previously deep maroon hair was bright pink now, contrasting with their purple skin. Gaeton had a pink cowlick in their black hair. Nil, inexplicably, had one pink eyebrow and one in dark brown. Tionne had a few streaks in her black, curly hair. 

‘So this is what you guys are up to when the adults are occupied’, Luke said, crossing his arms and raising his eyebrow. Din thought that he looked remarkably like Obi-Wan. The only thing that was missing was Luke stroking a beard he didn’t have. 

‘Master, you know how you told us about the padawan hairstyle of the old days?’, Tionne asked. 

‘I do.’

‘Well, we thought it would be fun to have something like that. We couldn’t find any scissors though, and Tionne wouldn’t let us use her lightsaber because it’s supposed to be  _ too dangerous _ or something’, Nava continued. 

‘It  _ would  _ have been too dangerous.’

‘It would’ve been  _ fine.’ _

Luke raised his hands when Tionne and Nava started bickering. 

‘Alright, so you decided to take the colour batteries we use to paint the droids’, Luke said, running a hand through his hair and messing it up even more. 

‘It seemed logical’, Tionne said. 

‘She has a point’, Din said, finally stepping up next to Din, Grogu still in his arms. 

‘I don’t know if logic is the right word here, Din’, Luke answered, but he seemed more amused than mad. ‘But you do have a point. You should all be able to express yourselves in whatever way you wish… just maybe next time wait until one of us can help you.’

‘Yes, Master Skywalker’, the kids echoed, Gaeton nodded and Grogu garbling. 

‘Now. What have I said about consequences?’

‘A good person must confront the consequences of their actions’, Tionne said, standing up straight.

‘Very good. What does that mean for this situation?’

‘Uhh… we should help the droids clean up?’, Nava said, raising one of their hands. It was covered in bright pink paint. 

‘Correct. Let’s clean up the kitchen and then we’ll clean all of you’, Luke said, pushing up his sleeves. 

The next hour was spent with all seven of them cleaning the floor and the cabinet of the kitchen. Din, Luke, Tionne and Nava did most of the work, the three other kids were too young to do more than be amazed at the bubbles forming on the soap. At some point Luke had taken a break only to pick up Grogu, who babbled happily. He seemed to be telling Luke a funny story, because Luke couldn’t stop laughing. Din turned his head towards the two of them but Luke was suddenly moving towards him, placing Grogu onto Din’s back. Din had been kneeling on all fours to get out a particularly nasty pink stain on one of the tiles, but now Grogu, with Luke as an accomplice had decided that he was more fun as a bantha. 

‘Pffahhahaha oh my stahahars’, Luke giggled, nearly falling over from how hard he was laughing. ‘This is the pff- most adorable thing I’ve ever seen.’

Din couldn’t see Grogu, but he could feel the small guy on his back, whooping excitedly and moving around until he was sitting between Din’s shoulder blades. Din was grinning so widely that his cheeks hurt. Luke was kneeling next to him, hunched over and laughing hard.

‘Mr. The Mandalorian, you make a really good bantha!’, Nava said, running over to the three of them excitedly. 

‘Thank you, Nava, but I can’t beat you with the sounds’, Din answered. ‘If we want Grogu to have the full experience, you’ll have to make them.’

Nava looked like they had just gotten their favourite candy and promptly started making loud bantha noises. Resigning to his fate and asking himself how he got into this specific situation, Din started moving around the kitchen on all fours, a whooping Grogu on his back and a screaming Nava at his side. 

After he had pretended to be a bantha for his son’s entertainment for a few minutes, he caught Luke’s gaze. The other smiled at Din with so much affection in his eyes that Din nearly melted on the spot and he found that he didn’t really care how he ended up in the situation. Not when the situation included his son having the time of his life and Luke looking at him like  _ that.  _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks so much for reading, let me know what you thought!!   
> i know lots of you have been waiting for them to finally kiss, and i swear that will happen.... eventually. i sadly have a LOT of ideas for this fic still and the plot hasn't really... reached an end yet and I can come up with at least another 20k words for this to end, so i'm sorry my loves but you'll have to hang in there a tad longer...  
> also don't ask me where i got the pink hair idea from, i was staring into the distance and zoning out and suddenly i had the thought and i ran with it... it also gave me an excuse to write dad shenanigans™️ and im a sucker for that because i just... love dad!din so much.


	23. Dreams

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Luke and Din have to clean up the kids after a paint-related incident.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi everyone! I most likely won't upload tomorrow since I have quite a lot of stuff to do for uni, so you're getting an extra long chapter today! I'll be back on Saturday with regular daily uploads!   
> also! one of you lovely readers asked me whether Tionne was Luke's student from Legends and... ummm. she isn't planned to be that? my knowledge of the star wars eu is pretty limited, so i didn't even know Tionne existed, i just used a Star Wars name generator and thought her name sounded funky... it's a coincidence that i find very funny tbh sgdfgdfgs

‘Alright, everyone. What have we learnt from today?’, Luke asked, after finally picking Grogu off of Din’s back and ushering the kids towards the dining hall, away from the droids who still looked a bit miffed about the whole pink colour in their kitchen business.  _ Well… at least as miffed as tin cans can look, _ Din thought. 

‘That we shouldn’t dye our hair pink?’, Nil asked, raising one pink eyebrow. Gaeton, who was standing next to Nil shook their head vehemently.

‘That we should ask for your help before we dye our hair pink!’, Nava said. At this, Gaeton nodded enthusiastically. 

Luke smiled fondly. Din didn’t have to be force-sensitive to feel the affection coming off of him in waves. It was obvious.

‘Nava is right. You’re welcome to dye your hair any colour of the rainbow, but to make sure it’s safe, ask me or Din, I mean the Mandalorian for help next time, alright?’

‘Yes, Master Skywalker’, the kids echoed. 

‘Now, go get your dinner, everyone. And then it’s time for a bath’, Luke said, waving the four kids out of the hall, Grogu resting in his arms. The small green child seemed exceedingly happy in Luke’s arms.  _ Like father, like son, _ Din thought fondly. It was funny how seeing Luke hold his son with such care always made something warm in his chest bloom. 

‘I admire these kids’, Din said, his voice so low that only Luke would catch it. ‘They definitely know how to have fun.’

‘They do, don’t they? It’s nice to see them have fun… they’ve all gone through a lot’, Luke whispered, absentmindedly playing with Grogu’s small fingers. The three had stopped in the entrance to the kitchen and were looking at the four other kids running to get their food, starting to talk animatedly immediately. They all looked very happy with their day’s expeditions and hair enhancements. 

‘The refugee camp?’, Din asked. 

Luke nodded. 

‘I- the old Jedi Order had a tendency to… take kids away from their families when they were only a few months old. They were raised at the temple. I don’t… I don’t particularly want to do that. Even if I did, I don’t have the facilities to take care of newborns. So, I found all four of them in a refugee camp. Their parents were killed in an attack on their hometown by Empire remnants.’

‘How did you find them?’, Din asked. Luke looked a bit pained. 

‘Tionne- she was having terrible nightmares and I- I could sense a strong force sensitive person in pain. I had to go look. Same as I did with Grogu.’

‘How long have they been here?’

Luke threw Din a glance. 

‘About two years now’, he answered, taking a deep breath and closing his eyes, a mournful expression on his face. ‘I’m just- I’m happy that these kids will grow up in a galaxy where there isn’t a constant threat of war or a fascist regime controlling everyone’s lives. They already had to deal with that- and Gaeton is only four years old. All I can do is make sure they never have to experience that again.’

Din felt a stab of pain in his gut at Luke’s words. He put an arm around Luke’s shoulders and pulled him into his side gently. Luke melted against him almost immediately. 

‘I’m glad, too. They- Grogu, Nava, all of them- they deserve a better future than that. I wouldn’t- I wouldn’t wish the war on anyone. Least of all these kids.’

Luke took a shuddering breath, composing himself a bit. Grogu reached out his free hand and clutched the hand that Luke had been using to play with him. Din tightened the arm around Luke’s shoulder and the other put his head on Din’s broad shoulders. He let out a grateful sigh.

‘Thank you both’, he muttered, smiling down at Grogu, who was petting his hand softly. The sight made Din’s heart clench with happiness. 

‘Of course. There’s- I would do a lot of things to make sure these kids have the future they deserve’, Din said, his voice hard. And he meant it. The protectiveness he felt for Grogu wasn’t a new thing, but in the past two months the other four had grown on him. 

Luke looked up at him, a steely expression on his face. 

‘Me too’, he said, with such conviction that it was almost scary, if it hadn’t been quite so attractive. Din would’ve stared into Luke’s eyes a bit longer, but Grogu started to be vocal about his own need for food and the two were immediately distracted by the child’s cries. 

‘He wants food’, Din said. Luke laughed. 

‘He does. Let’s feed him. We’ll have to bathe him later anyway. That pink stuff isn’t completely gone.’

‘Now that you mention it’, Din started, suddenly realising something. ‘There’s a tiny pink handprint on your chest. And you have pink paint on your nose, how did you manage that?’

Luke blushed a bit. 

‘I don’t know. But you also have some pink splatters on your back’, he retorted. ‘We all need a bath, then.’

Din chuckled a bit, nodding. 

‘And some armour maintenance.’

The rest of dinner passed without any more pink handprints on furniture or on Luke’s clothes. As usual, Luke had the droids bring one meal to their room for Din to have in private. Once the kids had finished their dinner, they ushered them to their quarters, leaving Tionne and Nava to bathe on their own while Luke stayed to make sure that Nil and Gaeton bathed properly. Din headed back to Luke’s room to give Grogu a bath. 

Now, when Din had first taken Grogu in he had quickly realised that his son hated bathing unless he was allowed to splash around to his heart’s content. It usually resulted in Din ending up completely drenched, but he would be lying if he didn’t think it was a little bit fun. 

So, when Din had carried Grogu to the room, he locked the door behind him to make sure that only Luke would be able to get in. He pulled off his helmet and took off his armour, quickly having the dinner the droids had left on the small table next to the holopic. Afterwards he headed to the fresher with Grogu who was staring at him with apprehension. 

‘...don’t look at me like that.’

Grogu kept looking at him like that. 

‘You can splash a bit.’

Grogu kept looking. 

‘Alright, you can splash around as much as you want.’

Grogu babbled happily and Din couldn’t even feel bad about how indulgent he was towards his son.  _ I’d like to see someone try to resist his face when he’s asking for something, _ he thought with a smirk. _ Even the most ruthless criminal couldn’t resist those pleading eyes.  _ On their way into the fresher, Grogu raised his hands to paw at Din’s beard a bit until Din finally set him down in the small tub that Luke had brought him a few months ago. 

He bathed Grogu with quite a lot of splashing from his son. Grogu was having the time of his life floundering around in the small tub and making the water swash over the side. In the end, Din also contributed to the splashing, because it was simply too good to see Grogu giggle happily whenever saw a wave on the water and Din just didn’t want to deny his son the small joys of being a kid. 

After Din had finally scrubbed the last bit of pink paint from Grogu’s fingernails, he took the kid out of the bath, wrapping him in a fluffy blanket and getting completely drenched in the process because Grogu loved wriggling around a bit too much. When he had finally gotten Grogu into his clothes, the door slid open. 

‘It’s me’, Luke said from the main room. Din hummed in acknowledgement and picked up Grogu again, walking out of the fresher. Luke was standing at his closet, picking out some sleeping clothes and turned around to look at Din. 

He still had some pink paint splattered on his nose and Din noticed that for some reason he was starting to blush nearly as brightly as the paint. Luke’s eyes were focussed on some point below Din’s chin. There was a fascinated glint in his eyes. Din felt his mouth dry as Luke’s gaze flicked back up to his face, to his lips and then to his eyes. 

‘You’re drenched’, Luke finally commented, a sort of rough quality to his voice. Din couldn’t exactly place what it was but it made a shiver run down his spine.

‘Yeah- uh- Grogu. Splashing and all that.’

Luke smiled. Din felt himself smile in response without even meaning to. 

‘Ah yes. I forgot’, he said, ruffling through his hair, messing it up. ‘You have some pink in your beard.’

Luke stepped closer, reaching out a hand to brush over Din’s chin. 

‘I got most of it off, but you have some pink beard hair now’, Luke said, a fond smile crossing his face. 

‘I guess Grogu wanted me to be part of the fun’, Din explained, looking down at the child in his arms who had conveniently fallen asleep. 

‘I think it suits you’, Luke said. Din grinned and Luke’s eyes immediately flicked down to his lips. 

‘You-you also have some on your nose’, Din said, reaching out his free hand to wipe away the paint splatter on Luke’s nose. It turned an adorable shade of red as Din brushed over it and he couldn’t help but widen his grin. They must’ve looked stupid from outside, just standing in front of each other with a sleeping, green toddler between them, grinning like maniacs, but Din didn’t really care. 

‘Do you still have texts to read tonight?’, he asked, trying to mask the hopeful tone in his voice. 

‘Not tonight. I’m- exhausted. Let’s go to bed?’

Din nodded, feeling elated. 

‘Let’s.’

After they had both changed and freshened up, they finally went to sleep. For Din it felt like the first time in a long while that Luke actually went to bed at the same time as he did, so he reveled in the opportunity to be wrapped up in Luke’s arms as they fell asleep. He felt Luke’s warm, firm chest underneath his cheek, felt the warm arm around him, felt Grogu asleep curled up in a small bundle between Luke and Din, his tiny hands buried in Din’s shirt. It felt- well it felt like home. It felt like something Din never knew he needed. Luke’s steady breathing lulled him to sleep and Grogu’s tiny hands on his chest calmed his heart. 

This soft, gentle way of falling asleep did nothing to prepare him for how abruptly he would be woken up during the night. 

Din wasn’t exactly sure what time it was when he jerked away at the sound of a blood-curdling scream. It was still dark outside. Grogu, who was still lying close to Din’s chest also stirred awake, blinking with wide, scared eyes. Din automatically reached for the blaster he kept under his pillow, one hand reaching down to protect Grogu as he looked up to check on Luke. A cold shiver ran down his spine.

Luke’s skin was pale, he was bathed in sweat and his face was scrunched up in pain, his lips open, letting out quiet whimpers that broke Din’s heart. He couldn’t understand Luke’s whispering, but he could tell that the other was having a nightmare, and a particularly bad one at that. Immediately letting go of the blaster, he sat up, positioning Grogu in his lap and putting both of his arms on Luke’s shoulders, gently shaking him awake. 

‘Luke, Luke, wake up’, he said, his voice dripping with worry. Luke didn’t wake up, but he started thrashing around slightly, murmuring something that Din couldn’t decipher. 

_ ‘Luke’, _ he said, a bit louder, shaking the other’s shoulders in earnest. Grogu let out a pitiful sound, a hand reaching out to clutch one of Luke’s hands that had fallen into Din’s lap. 

With a jerk, Luke opened his eyes, a hunted, painful expression in his eyes. He was blinking into the darkness, his eyes flitting around the room as if to check whether there was an intruder. 

‘Luke’, Din whispered quietly and Luke’s face whipped back towards him, his shoulders tensing up. Din’s heart clenched. 

Luke stared at him for a second before understanding passed across his face and his entire body went limp and he wordlessly reached out his free hand. Din complied immediately, moving Grogu so the two of them could effectively hug Luke. Din practically pulled the Jedi up and into his lap, settling Grogu on Luke’s lap. His son put a small hand onto Luke’s heart, moving it in a circular motion. Din was incredibly proud of how well Grogu was dealing with the situation and he took a mental note to make sure he played with him even more tomorrow. For now he had a shivering Luke in his arms. 

Luke was shaking and Din could hear the sniffles as he buried his face in Din’s neck. Din had no idea how to react in a situation like this, so he did the only thing he could think of and held Luke a bit tighter, running a hand over Luke’s back that was starting to be wracked with sobs. Din’s heart broke a bit as he felt Luke sob into his neck, but he didn’t push anything. If Luke wanted to talk about it, he would. 

The grip on Din’s shirt got tighter as the sounds from Luke’s crying started to sound more and more tired. Din suddenly realised that he had been humming a song under his breath. It was a lullaby that he thought his mother used to sing to him before she put him to bed. He didn’t remember the words, only the basic melody, but he’d used it to put Grogu to bed before and now he had subconsciously started humming it to help Luke feel calmer. 

Luke’s body stopped shivering so much after a good ten minutes of Din and Grogu sitting there, hugging Luke tightly and humming, since Grogu had started to babble along to the song that Din was humming. 

‘I-I didn’t know you were a father-son duet’, Luke said, his voice so thick with tears Din almost didn’t understand him. 

‘Only for you’, Din whispered back, his one hand coming up to run through Luke’s hair gently. 

‘Thank you’, the Jedi whispered, nuzzling his face into Din’s shoulder. 

‘Always.’

They were quiet for a while longer, Luke steadying his breathing and Din playing with his hair. Grogu was still tracing patterns into Luke’s stomach with his small hand.

Finally, Luke took a deep breath and pulled back a bit, using one hand to wipe his face roughly. Din reached out his hand. 

‘May I?’, he asked. Luke nodded, so Din, using the sleeve of his sleeping shirt, reached out to brush some of the tears away. Luke closed his eyes. He looked exhausted. 

‘Would you like to talk about it?’, Din asked after he’d cleaned up Luke’s face carefully.

‘I- I don’t even know what happened. There were flashes of things I’ve experienced… I saw the emperor standing over me with force lightning- I saw my father ki-killing Obi-Wan, I saw him- I saw him slaughtering younglings- but I also- I also saw things that haven’t happened to me. I- I think I was sharing a nightmare with a force-sensitive person’, Luke explained. Din hummed again, gently caressing his face. 

‘I’m sorry’, he said, not being able to say anything else. Sorry didn’t really seem to encompass his feelings, but Luke opened his eyes and smiled at him tiredly. 

‘I have to meditate on this’, he said. 

‘In the morning’, Din interjected. 

‘But I-’

‘Luke, you look about ready to fall asleep standing. You’re no use half asleep’, Din said, his voice stern. Luke’s albeit very weak resistance crumbled. 

‘Would you- I mean- Can you hold me?’, he asked, quietly. 

‘Of course’, Din whispered. Grogu, who was on Luke’s lap made a small sound and Luke reached out one hand to hug him close as Din pulled all three of them to lay back on the bed. Luke was basically lying on top of him and he wrapped the other up in his arms, while Grogu wiggled into Luke’s arms, snuggling his small head under Luke’s chin, with a hand on Luke’s heart. 

‘He  _ is  _ a natural anti-anxiety pill’, Luke said. 

‘He is’, Din agreed. Luke relaxed a bit more and Din reached up a hand to play with his hair again. It seemed like such a natural thing to do. 

‘Din, could you- could you stay with me when I try the meditation tomorrow? You have a calming presence’, Luke asked, looking up at him. 

Din nodded slightly. 

‘Thank you. Both of you’, Luke said, hugging Grogu a bit closer to his chest. Din only hummed again. 

‘Could I ask you one last favour?’, Luke whispered. 

‘Sure.’

‘That-that song. Could you.. sing it again?’

Din smiled at Luke. He pressed a kiss to Luke’s hair and buried his face in it, starting to hum the familiar tune. Within a few minutes both Grogu’s and Luke’s breath had evened out. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks so much for reading! let me knw your thoughts!   
> there's a bit of angst in this chapter because i need it for plot reasons, i hope i did an alright job with that because it really isnt my field of expertise fgfgdfgdfgdf  
> i would also like to thank my new obi-wan pop figure for giving me moral support while writing this longass chapter. he's beautiful and i love him, just like the real obi-wan  
> also as a side note, i mostly ignore all the stuff that happens in the sequels because i don't really... like what they did to Luke as a character (and Han... and Leia too, kinda), but that's a personal opinion. i wont really get into anything that is relevant for the sequels but you're very welcome to add your own twists on this to make it fit into the skywalker saga ofc!!!  
> if you want to talk to me, my tumblr is @mandalourian as always


	24. Epiphany

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Morning comes with revelations.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi yall! i hope you enjoy this chapter, altho i am a bit late with it today

Din woke up to Luke shuffling in his arms. He opened his eyes slightly, checking on the Jedi in his arms. Luke still seemed to be asleep, one hand curled around a sleeping Grogu and one twisted into Din’s shirt with a death grip. Din’s heart clenched at the sight. He wished that he could have taken a holopic of the two people he loved the most-

_ Hold the kriff up,  _ Din thought.  _ Did- did I just think love? _

He stared at Luke and Grogu in his arms again. His head was… quiet for possibly the first time in his life as he looked at Luke and felt a rush of feelings soar through him. 

_ I- I love him, _ Din thought. 

He felt like he was floating. He felt unbalanced and the feelings were terrifying and intoxicating at the same time. Loving Luke… in a sense it seemed like the next logical step. Rationally, he knew that he’d loved the Jedi for quite a while now. There was no other explanation for all of the feelings coursing through him whenever Luke so much as smiled at him. 

But, Din had no idea how to proceed. He had never felt this way for anyone before. Sure, he’d thought that people were attractive before. He wasn’t blind. He’d felt affection for Omera, but that had been… nothing like this. Din had thought that he’d never have the issue of falling in love with someone, let alone a Jedi of all people.

In all his life he could have never imagined that he would ever feel more than platonic affection for people. It had already been a shock when he’d realised how much he truly loved Grogu, but Grogu was his son, his foundling. The feelings he had for Luke were… different. Where he felt protective and proud of Grogu, loving him genuinely, his feelings for Luke were plural and complicated and he struggled with naming what exactly they were. 

_ I guess love is the correct term,  _ Din thought.  _ At least I have a word for it now. _

It was a groundbreaking realisation. Din was staring down at Luke and Grogu, having an epiphany that shook him to his very bones. It shouldn’t have been so earth-shattering, but it was. When he thought how much he loved the curve of Luke’s lips when he smiled, the brightness in his eyes that betrayed so much wisdom, so much mirth, it made him shiver. He wanted to spend hours, days, weeks just talking to Luke, hearing his thoughts on everything from their own mortality to how to best convince Nava to split-dye their hair pink and green. Din wanted to know the other deeply, intimately, on every level humanly possible. He wanted to understand just what made Luke smile so much that Din’s heart ached, wanted to know why the other managed to be so happy in face of his devastating trauma, he wanted to hold Luke when he was sad, wanted Luke to hold him when he was sad. He wanted to kiss Luke every night before bed and every morning before getting up. 

Din’s arms tightened around the two beings he loved more than anything in this galaxy. His heart was racing and he thought there might have been tears in his eyes. A voice inside of him told him to wake Luke up and tell him, kiss him and hope the other felt the same, but his anxieties about losing this man, this beautiful enigma of a Jedi resting in his arms got the better of him. 

He was afraid. Afraid of destroying something precious, afraid of pushing Luke away with the intensity of his feelings. Of all the things he could imagine happening when he told Luke, one of the worst would have been to be sent away, not because of Luke’s cruelty, but because of Luke’s faith. To have to leave Luke and Grogu behind and return to a life of empty bounty hunting. 

_ I can’t… tell him,  _ he thought. _ It’s better to love him from afar than to risk losing them both for forever.  _

With a sigh, Din closed his eyes, trying his best to simply enjoy the current moment. It wasn’t like he wasn’t happy in this situation. In fact, he mused, this was probably the happiest he’d been in a long time. 

_ There’s no sense in jeopardizing something already so beautiful. I will just be happy with what I have right now, because it’s already more than I ever thought I would get.  _

Din started running his hands up and down Luke’s back, tracing patterns with his fingers. Luke started shifting in his arms and Din opened his eyes. 

The Jedi was squinting up at him with an adorable frown on his face. 

_ ‘Jate vaar'tur, cyar’ika’, _ Din whispered. Luke only kept squinting at him, confusion evident on his face.

‘M-morning’, he said, yawning loudly. ‘Man, I haven’t slept this well in weeks.’

‘You should sleep more.’

Luke groaned. 

‘Yeah, you have a point. Force, you’re warm. How do I usually manage to get out of bed when you’re so comfortable’, Luke mumbled, snuggling closer to Din again. It made the butterflies in Din’s stomach do a tango. 

‘You too’, he whispered. Luke hummed, burying his face in Din’s chest as he was wont to do in the mornings. 

‘I should get up to meditate’, Luke said, his voice muffled by the fabric of Din’s shirt. 

‘Mn. You should, probably.’

‘I don’t want to.’

‘Then don’t.’

Luke chuckled. 

‘You’re an enabler’, he said. 

Din smiled down at him, tightening his arms a tiny bit. 

‘If it comes to you sleeping enough, yes’, he mumbled. Luke shifted his face so he could look at Din with one eye. 

‘Rest until Grogu wakes up’, Din added, trying his best to put on a convincing face. 

‘Alright.’

‘You could meditate in bed?’, Din suggested. 

‘Hm. I could. But that would derail the idea of resting. Also I can’t really think of anything but how comfortable I am, so meditating wouldn’t really do much’, the Jedi answered. 

‘Makes sense.’

The two were quiet for a while, staring into each other’s eyes warmly. Din felt at peace.

‘How do you feel?’, Din asked after a while. Luke blinked lazily. 

‘I’m- okay I think. I’m used to nightmares.’

‘I’m sorry’, Din whispered. ‘I can relate, though.’

Luke shrugged. 

‘It’s- well there’s the Jedi thing. And there’s the--- my past. As a Jedi I have to release my feelings into the force, I’m not allowed to hold grudges. And I do not. But feelings are still complicated and… sometimes you have to sort through them before you’re able to let them go completely.’

Din stilled the hand on Luke’s back. He gazed into Luke’s eyes, waiting for the other to continue. 

‘I- well, there’s my father. There’s everything that happened on the second death star… Sometimes, when it gets dark and I’m alone… I can still feel the Emperor’s lightning… and sometimes my father doesn’t- won’t help me’, Luke explained, his voice low and his eyes downcast. 

‘It’s normal that you can’t- forget something like that. It’s traumatic.’

Luke hummed. 

‘I suppose so. But I still need to find a way to let go of my fears- it’s the Jedi way.’

‘That I do understand’, Din mumbled. ‘Is there a way to help you?’

Luke turned his head to the side so he could look at Din with his entire face showing. 

‘You’re already helping’, Luke explained. ‘I feel more grounded with you around. You have a calming- a relaxing effect.’

‘If there’s more…’, Din trailed off.

‘Thank you, Din. If there is something I do need your help with- I will ask.’

Din nodded. Luke sighed deeply and buried his head in Din’s chest again. 

‘I’m tempted to just… stay in bed all day’, he mumbled. 

‘You and me both.’

Luke chuckled. 

‘I suppose another hour wouldn’t hurt anyone’, he whispered resting his cheek right above Din’s heart that was still hammering. Din couldn’t help but smile brightly. Luke had that effect on him. 

‘You know, I need to look at you more without the helmet. That way I’ll be able to tell what expression you’re pulling when I can’t see your face’, Luke joked, his hand coming up to curl in the fabric of Din’s collar. His thumb started to gently caress the skin of Din’s throat. Din felt goosebumps come alive up his arm. Then, a sudden rush of courage made him open his mouth. 

‘Ma-maybe you need to take a closer look’, he said, his voice almost inaudible in the quiet of the early morning. Luke’s expression became unreadable. 

‘Maybe I do’, he answered and slowly, he untangled his arm from around Grogu, taking care not to wake the sleeping toddler. Luke moved up the mattress and Din’s heart was beating out of his chest, his brain had stopped working and his fingers were tingling. Luke settled his head on the pillow beside Din’s, only a few inches away. Din had never been so close to Luke’s face and he was encased in the scent of Luke’s soap. It made his toes curl. 

Automatically, Din shifted so he laid on his side, their legs still entangled. He couldn’t take his eyes off of Luke, not when the other was so kriffing close, not when he could smell the scent of Luke’s shampoo, not when he could count the tiny, pale freckles splattered over his nose, not when he could discern Luke’s individual eyelashes, not when he could see every sparkle of Luke’s eyes up close, not when he could see the fine lines of Luke’s smile form around his eyes. Not when he could feel Luke’s soft breath hitting his face. Not when he could see Luke’s lips so clearly, their shape, their softness, their redness from where Luke tended to chew on them when he was in thought. Not when Luke was looking at him, drinking in the sight of Din’s face in a way that made Din’s knees so weak he couldn’t have left the bed even if he had wanted to. 

Din was speechless. Here was the man he loved, in the same bed, a few inches away from him, staring into his eyes with such intent that it left him breathless. He couldn’t formulate a single coherent thought, Luke’s proximity had killed all of his higher brain functions. 

‘You’re even prettier up close’, Luke whispered, his voice rough and wobbly. Din wanted to kiss him so badly it hurt. 

‘L-look who’s talking’, he answered. His voice was shaking too. 

Luke let out a sound, quiet and short and high and he closed his eyes, a complicated expression forming on his face. Din’s heart was working overtime as Luke leant his forehead towards his, pressing them together. Din couldn’t help but close his eyes as well, feeling the warmth of the other’s forehead pressed against his. 

_ If this is what feeling his forehead against mine feels like, I don’t know how I’d survive a kiss, _ Din thought. 

Luke exhaled shakily, the breath ghosting over Din’s face and making his whole body shiver at just how  _ damn close _ the other was. 

After a few moments of enjoying the closeness, Din fluttered his eyes open only to be met with the brilliant blue of Luke’s eyes. 

‘Hello there’, Luke whispered. 

‘Hi’, Din answered, completely breathless. He was trapped in Luke’s gaze. He couldn’t move, because nothing could be more important than looking into Luke’s eyes, seeing the depth in them, the open affection, the unreadable emotions. Their breaths were mingling and Din felt himself start to take deep breaths in sync with Luke’s, trying his best to calm his beating heart. 

‘I- we should probably get up’, Luke whispered. 

‘We should.’

Neither of them moved. 

‘We really should’, Luke said. 

‘Yes, we should.’

Still, neither of them moved. 

It would’ve been possible that the two of them would have remained like that, unmoving, caught in each other’s gazes for hours, if Grogu hadn’t started wiggling around after a few minutes. 

Din closed his eyes again, moving forward a bit so his nose bumped against Luke’s. He could hear Luke take in a sharp breath and he could feel Grogu shifting against his stomach. With a last sigh, Din turned his face down towards Grogu, opening his eyes. 

Grogu was slowly waking up, his large, expressive eyes blinking blearily into the light of the early morning. Din smiled down at his son, because he couldn’t help himself. Seeing Grogu always made him smile. 

Luke’s forehead was still pressed into the side of Din’s head and he was hyper-aware of Luke’s breath on his cheek and on his throat. 

‘I’ll-I’ll start meditating’, Luke whispered into Din’s ear. 

‘I’ll join you in a bit once I’ve dressed him’, Din answered, trying his best to keep his voice steady and not dissolve into incomprehensible giddiness at the entire morning’s interaction. 

‘See you in a bit’, Luke whispered, sending another shiver down Din’s spine. Then, he delivered the final nail in the coffin. Luke leant closer and pressed a soft kiss to the top of Din’s cheek, soft, warm, intoxicating. 

He moved back, out of the bed and Din was left with a half-awake Grogu and a heart that had nearly completely given out. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks so much for reading! let me know what you thought!!!  
> ...i know u guys probably kinda hate me for torturing you with this chapter and i would be lying if i wasn't laughing like an evil maniac while writing this... there's just something so satisfying about stretching out this tension for so fucking long.........  
> If you want to talk to me or try to bribe me into actually letting these two idiots kiss, my tumblr is @mandalourian   
> i swear i have good plot and character development reasons to keep this slow burn up sdfsdfsf
> 
> 'Jate vaar'tur, cyar’ika’ (Mando'a) = Good morning, darling


	25. Oversight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Luke meditates to understand the meaning of his nightmare.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi yall!! i hope you enjoy this chapter. we're finally getting some more plot and not just dinluke staring at each other without kissing ssfsdfdsfsf

Watching Luke meditate always did something to Din. Seeing the Jedi sit so still and so serene was… well, it felt strangely intimate. Din felt honoured to be allowed to sit in on Luke’s meditations. From what little he understood about the Jedi, it was one of their most important traditions, and being allowed to be a part of it felt… precious. 

After washing and dressing his son, Din had set down Grogu next to Luke on a small stone, doing his best to be quiet since he didn’t want to disturb the other. Grogu had closed his eyes immediately, but Din wasn’t sure if it was because he started meditating as well or because he went back to dozing. Shrugging, he sat down on a stone close to the two Jedi, adjusting his helmet and starting to polish the parts of his armour that were covered in small pink handprints and paint splatters. He occasionally glanced up to keep an eye on Luke and Grogu. 

Luke’s face was as relaxed as it tended to be when he was meditating. There weren’t many signs of what he was feeling, but after a while he started to frown, letting pained expressions cross over his face. Din stopped polishing and scrutinized him. Luke seemed… worried. There was a very specific crease that would appear between his brows whenever he felt worry and Din could see it as clear as day. But, he didn’t want to interrupt, so he didn’t speak up, knowing that Luke would tell him what happened after he was done. 

It was still early morning and Din thought that the other children were most likely still in bed. Luke spent the next half hour or so sitting on his stone, his face scrunching up in worry sporadically. Grogu had apparently been trying to meditate but after about five minutes he opened his eyes, scooted down the rock and walked over to Din, stretching out his arms to be picked up. Din was never one to deny his son much, so he picked him up and the toddler promptly lodged himself on his lap, falling asleep almost instantly. Din’s heart swelled, even though Grogu was drooling onto his newly polished armour. 

‘We missed something’, Luke said after about forty minutes of silence. Din, who had been softly booping Grogu’s nose to see the small child scrunch up his face and wiggle his nose, looked up. 

‘What do you mean?’

Luke had opened his eyes and there was a haunted look on his face. 

‘On Phindar. I felt a disturbance- I thought it was only the ships but- no, there’s something more on Phindar.’

Din cocked his head in confusion. 

‘There’s a force-sensitive child on Phindar. And they’re in pain. Lots of it- I- the empire remnants might be doing something to them’, Luke continued. ‘And I failed to sense them.’

‘You were unconscious on our way home, Luke’, Din interjected. Luke nodded, but the expression on his face remained remorseful. 

‘I still should have sensed them.’

Din couldn’t think of anything to say, so he kept quiet for a while. Luke stared into nothingness. 

‘Should we head back to Phindar?’, Din finally asked, ripping Luke out of his thoughts. The Jedi hummed. 

‘I definitely have to. I- you don’t have to come if you would like to stay here. I don’t want to ask too much of you’, Luke said, trailing off. 

‘Luke. I offered. I know I would be worried if you went back to Phindar by yourself’, Din answered, looking into Luke’s eyes firmly. ‘I know you can handle yourself but- if you wouldn’t mind I would like to come along. Especially if we can save another kid.’

Luke stared at Din for a while and slowly a smile spread over his worried face. 

‘I appreciate it, Din. I want you to come along… I just don’t want to force you into something- especially because this is quite definitely Jedi business.’

Din smiled underneath the helmet and nodded. 

‘I mean- I helped you get the last one. Seems fitting to keep helping you with this, I guess. Beats collecting bounties on petty criminals’, he answered. 

Luke’s smile brightened and he got up, walking towards Din and kneeling down in front of the stone that he was sitting on. 

‘Thank you. Having you as a partner in this- it’s- well it’s a relief. There’s few people I trust to watch my back like I trust you’, Luke said, putting a hand on Din’s shoulder, which shouldn’t have sent a shiver down his spine since it had happened countless times before. The goosebumps on his arms betrayed the opposite. 

‘I like- this. Helping you do something that’s- meaningful. These kids, they- they have no one. And you give them a good home. I might not be a Jedi but I want to… do something. Help’, Din explained. Luke’s face became impossibly brighter. 

‘It would be my pleasure to continue working with you’, he said, his voice a whisper. ‘Thank you. I can’t tell you how much your help means to me.’

Din only hummed. Being unable to do much since Grogu was now clutching one of his hands tightly and the other was still holding a piece of his armour, Din leaned forwards and gently rested his helmet against Luke’s forehead, reliving the touch from just an hour ago. Luke’s face went through a complicated mix of expressions, but he stared into Din’s visor, a small smile playing around his lips and crinkling up the corners of his eyes. 

They stayed like this for a while, their foreheads only separated by beskar. Din felt his heart beat erratically as he counted the freckles on Luke’s nose for the second time that day, as he committed the details of Luke’s eyes up close to memory. 

‘We should head to breakfast’, Din said after a while. Luke hummed in agreement, tightening the hand on Din’s shoulder for a moment and closing his eyes, breathing in deeply before drawing back. 

‘Let’s make sure the children are safe so we can head out to Phindar as soon as possible. I’ll meet you in the dining hall, I need to send an encrypted message to my sister and have R2 calculate the jumps. Din nodded and Luke smiled one last time before leaving to find his astromech. 

Breakfast passed relatively normally. At least, for the standards of the Jedi temple, the breakfast was normal. At some point Nava had tried to force lift some scrambled eggs into Grogu’s awaiting mouth and the result had been a near disaster and Din resigned himself to having to polish his armour again. Nava apologized profusely, their cheeks dark violet with embarrassment but Din waved them off. 

‘It’s fine, kid. Don’t worry’, he said, the affection in his voice evident. Nava didn’t seem to believe him so he reached out and ruffled their hair affectionately, which made their eyes sparkle with happiness. Din felt a surge of affection for the young child and Grogu, who seemed to know exactly what he was thinking, babbled happily on his high baby stool next to Din. 

‘Alright, everyone’, Luke said, as soon as the eggs had been cleaned up by the culprits and the table had settled again. ‘I’m afraid Din and I will have to leave again today. There’s some… trouble we need to take care of. If all goes well, we might bring home another student.’

The entire table erupted in cheers and Luke raised his hands in surrender as the children started to ask him question after question.

‘I can’t tell you more than that now. Tionne, you’ll be in charge. Remember to not go outside unless there is absolutely no other option. Only contact me in emergencies and only through R2.’

The chatter died down and Tionne nodded with a steely look on her face that reminded Din of Luke. 

‘Yes, Master Skywalker’, she said. Luke smiled at her warmly and Din could see how pleased he was with his eldest student. 

_ Well, I suppose Grogu is technically his eldest student,  _ Din thought.  _ Technically my son is older than me. Huh.  _

Luke’s voice ripped him out of his thoughts. 

‘We’ll leave straight after breakfast’, he said. Din nodded in agreement. 

Saying goodbye to Grogu would never be easy, but Din at least felt a little less worried now. 

‘Stay safe, Grogu’, he whispered, holding his foundling up in front of his face. Grogu reached out to put a small hand on Din’s helmet and Din’s heart ached with how much he loved the small green bundle in his hands. 

‘I’ll be back soon, I promise’, Din said. Grogu brabbled something unintelligible but Din understood that it was his son’s way of saying goodbye, so he set Grogu on the ground with one last soft brush over his ear. 

The journey to the ship was nowhere near as eventful as on their first excursion. No Leviathan Grub for Luke to jump into showed up and when Din commented on that, Luke chuckled. 

‘That’s too bad, I’ve been practicing this backflip to make it even easier.’

Din stared at him with a deadpan expression underneath his helmet that Luke seemed to pick up on easily. 

‘I’m kidding, I’m kidding. The grub usually don’t attack very often.’

Din nodded and the two of them walked the rest of the way to the ship, reaching it without any issue and setting off towards the space station that Din was now familiar with. 

‘Are you alright?’, Din asked Luke while they watched the stars turn into white stripes outside of the cockpit. ‘You seem worried.’

‘I am. I’m trying my best to remain calm, but-I felt the child’s worries. Their pain. I just hope we aren’t too late’, Luke said. He took a deep breath. 

‘Control your emotions, Luke’, a voice from behind them came. Din nearly jumped out of his skin, immediately drawing his blaster. 

‘Hello there’, Obi-Wan said. He was lazily sitting on a panel at the back of the cockpit. 

‘Do you  _ enjoy  _ doing that?’, Din asked grumpily. 

‘Why,  _ yes, _ indeed I do. One positive of this is that I no longer have to worry about getting shot when sneaking up on a Mandalorian’, the Jedi master said, a lopsided grin on his face. ‘Satine used to hate it when I did that.’

Din shot a look at Luke, who seemed less surprised by Obi-Wan’s appearance. He shook his head at Din and mouthed  _ later. _

‘Hello Master’, Luke said and Din could see a bit of the tension drop from his shoulders. 

‘You are headed for the right place’, Master Kenobi assured, his voice warm. His arms were crossed. 

‘But will I arrive in time?’, Luke asked. 

‘The future is clouded, Luke. Trust in the force and do not let your anxieties get the better of you. It’s natural to feel fear but you must release it into the force or you risk getting taken in by the dark side.’

‘I know, Master. It’s just-’

‘It’s difficult’, Obi-Wan said, a sympathetic look on his face. He reached out one hand to stroke his beard thoughtfully. 

Luke nodded dejectedly. 

‘Don’t give up, Luke. Trust in the force and let it guide you. There will be times where you fail, and it will hurt. But you are doing good, and you are striving to do more good. Do not forget that’, the Jedi master continued, imploringly. 

‘You can’t save everyone. But you’re trying to save everyone you can’, Din added. Obi-Wan turned his startling blue eyes on Din and smiled approvingly. 

‘Din is right.’

Luke looked at Din with a soft smile. Din couldn’t help himself and he reached out to grasp Luke’s hand that was resting on the other’s thigh. Luke automatically intertwined their fingers, pressing back gently. 

Unbeknownst to both of them, Obi-Wan smiled knowingly, albeit a bit mournfully. 

‘Well, it seems I am no longer needed’, Obi-Wan said, smiling as Luke and Din turned back towards him. ‘Trust in the force, Luke. Use it.’

Luke nodded. 

‘Thank you Master’, he said and Din could see the tension in his face lessen. 

‘And don’t forget what I said about waiting. If I had not waited too long twice, things might have gone differently’, Obi-Wan said, glancing at both of them sternly. Din pretended that the fabric of his pants was incredibly interesting to him. 

‘Y-yes master’, Luke stammered. Obi-Wan chuckled good-naturedly. 

‘I have faith that you will figure this out. May the force be with you’, he said and his image faded from where he had been sitting on the panel, his legs crossed, stroking his beard thoughtfully. 

‘You Jedi are kriffing strange’, Din said after the blue ghost had vanished. He almost expected Obi-Wan to appear in the air next to him with a smirk and a witty comment on Mandalorian strangeness. 

‘I can’t argue with that’, Luke laughed. ‘But he does turn up when I need him to, even though I usually don’t know when that is.’

Din nodded. 

‘I’m glad he does. Do you feel better?’, he asked. 

Luke stared at the empty space where Obi-Wan had been for a while. 

‘A bit. I know what I need to do and… I feel less anxious.’

‘If you need to meditate again, I can fly the ship’, Din offered. Luke squeezed his hand. 

‘I would actually really appreciate that, thank you. I need to… sort out some feelings. Let them go.’

Din nodded and as Luke crossed his legs and closed his eyes, Din steered the ship, getting closer to the space station with each jump. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks so much for reading, let me know what you thought!!!  
> and that's the second self indulgent obi-wan cameo for this fic and if you think it's gonna be the last then you don't know just how fucking obssessed i am with this man.  
> i hope you all enjoyed a bit more plot advancement because there's still a lot that's bound to happen in this story before i finish it so i really... had to get on with it  
> i also just realised that this thing is like a few hundred words away from 50k and i am in absolute awe literally how the fuck did i get here (funfact my doc with this story is called 'The Strongest Force in the Galaxy: How the fuck did I get here')  
> as always, if u wanna talk to me my tumblr is mandalourian


	26. Possibility

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Luke and Din have some talks in the wake of Obi-Wan's departure.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi yall!! i hope you enjoy today's chapter!! i can't promise that i'll be able to upload tomorrow, but i'll do my best!

Din steered the ship to the space station while Luke had his eyes closed. He tried to make as little noise as possible so as to not disturb the Jedi next to him, only stealing glances at Luke’s relaxed face from time to time. Finally, after what felt like hours but had probably been only about twenty minutes, Luke opened his eyes, catching Din looking into his direction. He smiled. Din felt some of his worries fade. 

‘How do you feel?’, Din asked. 

Luke bobbed his head from side to side. 

‘Calmer… more in tune with the force’, he answered. Din didn’t fully know what that meant but he could see that Luke felt better so he guessed it was a good thing. 

‘I- That’s good- I think’, Din mumbled. Luke chuckled. 

‘It is. A Jedi must always be in tune with the force’, he explained. 

‘How does that work? Does it- speak to you? Is it like a hologram in your head telling you stuff that makes you feel less anxious?’

Luke hummed. 

‘In a way, yes. The force is… omnipresent. It flows through all living things and much like all sentient beings in this galaxy it has the capacity to be both good and evil. As Jedi we- we try to steer on the light side… even though the galaxy is more complicated than just black and white… but we try to adhere to a moral code and keep the peace, support those who cannot support themselves. The force guides us and aids us in that.’

Din stared at Luke for a while. 

‘I might not be able to feel it, but it sounds-- nice? I admire that you’re so- good’, he said. 

‘I don’t know if I am’, Luke said, his eyes fixed on the hyperspace tunnel around them. ‘I try my best to be- but I’ve failed many times. I’ve failed to save people- failed to see the correct path- I-’

‘Luke’, Din interrupted, putting his gloved hand on Luke’s. ‘You saved everyone that you could save. And I’ve never met anyone more devoted to doing what they think is right. You’re- you’re like- my mother used to tell me stories with these- shining knights- you’re that, but you’re a real person. You fail and you get back up and you try your best and you’re so  _ good _ and so real…’, Din trailed off, not knowing exactly how to continue. Luke was staring at him with such a vulnerable expression that Din took a deep breath and stumbled on:

‘Luke, you’re one of the best people I’ve ever- met. It might because I’m a bounty hunter so- No idea if the people I meet are just that bad… but I think even if I had grown up in the Rebel Alliance or something, you would still be- just as special. There’s a reason all of the kids love you so damn much. You’re- you embody hope and possibility and goodness in the face of massive struggle- I see that, the children see that, kriff, the entire galaxy sees that. You- dank farrik, you’re so much better at this stuff than I am… but Luke, you’re- you’re an inspiration to so many people because you’re  _ trying, _ and after a failure you- you keep going. You… meeting you has been one of the most eye-opening and best things that ever happened to me- along with meeting Grogu. You inspire me and so many others every single day.’

Luke seemed speechless. With every one of Din’s words his expression became more and more unreadable until finally, he closed his eyes and a tear ran down his cheek. 

‘Luke?’, Din asked, completely turning away from the ship that was now running on autopilot. ‘I’m sorry, I didn’t mean-’

‘No, I just. That was probably the sweetest thing anyone has ever said to me’, Luke said, blindly reaching out his hands to rest them on Din’s chest. 

‘I didn’t mean to make you cry’, Din whispered. 

‘Good tears’, Luke mumbled. 

‘Do you- do you want a hug?’

Luke nodded, his eyes still closed. Din reached out his arms immediately. Luke’s chair was too far away for the hug to work properly so after a bit of maneuvering Din just pulled Luke so close he was practically sitting in his lap. He felt the familiar warmth of Luke’s arms around him as he gathered the Jedi up in his arms, feeling the comforting weight all around him. 

‘I don’t know how to put into words how much what you just said means to me- but… I want you to know that- I think of you the same. I’ve never- met anyone like you. I’m- I’m very grateful to have you in my life.’

Din felt his heart jump in his chest. He automatically went to take off his gloves and reached up to run his fingers softly through Luke’s hair, the other hand coming up to clutch Luke’s hand that was still resting on his chest. The other shuddered underneath his ministrations. 

‘Me too’, Din whispered. Luke buried his face in the space between Din’s helmet and shoulder piece with a deep sigh. 

‘You know you’re much better with words than you like to admit’, he said after breathing deeply for a few minutes. Din laughed silently. 

‘I don’t know about that.’

Luke shifted so he could look straight into Din’s viser. 

‘Well you managed to make me speechless. I think that should count for something’, he said. 

‘That is an achievement’, Din teased. Luke smirked at him. 

‘I think you have multiple ways to shut me up, Din Djarin’, he said, his voice becoming a bit lower. Din felt his knees go weak yet again.  _ Thank kriff I’m sitting down, _ he thought a bit hysterically. 

‘M-maybe. Sh-should I use them… more? I like hearing you talk tho-’, he stammered. 

‘You’re sweet’, Luke said, closing his eyes and leaning his head against Din’s helmet again. Din still had no idea what exactly made Luke leaning his head against a goddamn piece of metal in front of his face so damn intimate. But, since Luke Skywalker was an enigma and he was in love with said enigma, it didn’t surprise him that anything Luke did that involved touching him felt intimate.

‘I’ll never understand how you’re this comfortable even with the armour on’, Luke mumbled. Din laughed. ‘Must be your natural charm.’

Din snorted. 

‘Sure. I’m plenty charming’, he said, sarcastically. 

‘Hmm, I think you are’, Luke said. 

‘I think you might be biased.’

‘Definitely. You charmed me when you asked me if I was a Jedi when I’d just taken out an entire platoon of dark troopers with a kriffing lightsaber’, Luke said with a fond smirk on his face. 

‘...listen, I only met one other Jedi and I wasn’t sure if her lightsabers were like… a personal choice or something.’

‘Grogu mentioned something like that. He couldn’t tell me her name, he didn’t remember’, Luke said, drawing back a bit to look at Din. His face was far more serious now. 

‘Her name is Ashoka Tano. When I last saw her, she was on a-’

‘Ashoka?’, Luke said, his eyes widening. 

‘Yes. Do you know her?’

Luke shook his head.

‘No, I- I only heard of her through Obi-Wan. She- she was my father’s padawan. She left the Jedi order before the fall of the Old Republic’, he explained.

‘Oh, that is- I- that’s quite a coincidence.’

Luke hummed, but his eyes seemed to stare at something far away. 

‘I- maybe I need to- search for her- I would like to get to know her’, Luke said, his voice quiet. 

‘If you would like to, I could help you. I know her last location… although she must’ve probably moved on by now.’

Luke turned back to Din with a soft smile on his face. 

‘Thank you. I would- really appreciate the help.’

They were quiet for a while. Then, Din asked something that he’d been meaning to ask ever since Obi-Wan had disappeared. 

‘Who’s Satine?’

Luke coughed in surprise. 

‘You- she was the Duchess of Mandalore… before its fall. Before Death Watch took over’, Luke explained. ‘Obi-Wan hasn’t told me much and Mandalore’s history is… well, you’d know best how clouded it is of course, but… well, he- he struggled with the old rule of not allowing any attachments as well… He told me that he had felt… affection, love, attachment for people, regardless of gender and that there were two people… one of them he won’t talk about, but the other was Duchess Satine. He loved her and she loved him, but for the sake of the Jedi Order, neither of them ever… well, they were never together. She- she ended up being killed right in front of his eyes… it’s- it’s a very sad story’, Luke trailed off. 

‘Oh. That’s… I didn’t know’, Din said, feeling lame. 

‘Me neither. For a long time. It- it helped with figuring some things out’, Luke explained, his eyes staring into nothing again. ‘I had always thought that Obi-Wan was this- perfect Jedi knight and that I would never be able to reach that, but- he was flawed as well. He’s very ready to admit that and- he had his misgivings about the old ways as well, and especially in the wake of the slaughter of the Jedi he- well let’s say some of his positions on things like love and attachment changed. He’s been very helpful in making sense of what being a Jedi should and should not mean.’

Din nodded, opening his mouth to say something more, when the intercom buzzed. During their talk they had completely missed the fact that they had dropped out of hyperspace and were making their way to the space station on auto pilot. 

‘I think that intercom doesn’t like us talking’, Luke grumbled, disentangling himself from Din and moving back to his own seat, but keeping their fingers interlocked. Din nodded as Luke opened the channel, announcing their arrival. With practiced ease, Luke landed the ship and the two of them made their way into the space station, greeting the officers on deck quickly and heading up towards the bridge where a hologram of Leia and a real Han were waiting for them. 

‘Well, well, well, I didn’t think I’d see you and Mando over here again so soon’, Han said when Luke and Din arrived on the bridge. 

‘Hello to you too, Han. We don’t have much time. I missed something on Phindar’, Luke said, one hand placed on his hips, the other one fiddling with his hair. 

‘What did you miss, Luke’, Leia asked, her face concerned. 

‘A force-sensitive child’, Luke said. ‘I shared their dreams. They were calling out to me… it was… terrible. They were hurting. Badly.’

Leia’s eyes flashed in alarm. 

‘But we destroyed the base two months ago and our relief fighters have been helping with the rebuilding of Phindar ever since’, Han said, confused. 

‘I sensed a small disturbance when we got to Phindar… at the time I thought it was the base, and on the way back I was unconscious…’, Luke explained. 

‘Then you have to return’, Leia said. It wasn’t a question. 

Luke nodded. 

‘Din has offered to help me again.’

‘Then the two of you need to leave as soon as possible. Han, have them take one of the unmarked ships’, Leia said, turning to her husband. 

‘As you wish, princess’, Han said, a fond smile on his face. Leia rolled her eyes, but Din could see the affection in her smile. 

‘Thank you both’, Luke said. 

‘Good luck. May the force be with you’, Han said. 

‘May the force be with you’, Leia echoed. 

‘Thank you. May the force be with you’, Luke said. Din nodded and the two men turned around and headed towards the hangar to return to Phindar. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks so much for reading, let me know what you thought!!  
> i rewatched a new hope today so now my obi wan simping has been joined by luke simping so... the excessive descriptions of luke skywalker's pretty face are about to become even more excessive.   
> concerning the other person that obi-wan is in love with... im leaving that up for interpretation bc i know yall ship obi with so many damn people and u can just imagine your fave obi-pairing in there sffsdfsfd (for me it's gonna be him having a crush on cody which is not at all motivated by m e having a crush on cody (the man is just so DAMN competent) but u can add whatever u like in here)   
> as always, if you wanna talk to me, my tumblr is @mandalourian


	27. Questions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Luke and Din arrive on Phindar

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi yall! i hope you enjoy today's chapter! It's a bit shorter because today has been a fucking day, so sorry if this is a bit of a weak filler.

The moment Luke and Din dropped out of hyperspace they saw a convoy of New Republic relief ships. 

‘Leia told them about our arrival’, Luke said. ‘They should let us pass easily.’

‘Ah, that’s… good.’

‘What are you thinking?’, Luke asked, turning towards Din.  _ Damn Jedi and their perceptiveness, _ Din thought fondly. 

‘I- I don’t want to question your abilities or anything but… how will we find a kid on this planet? It’s pretty massive’, Din said. Luke nodded thoughtfully. 

‘I’ll let the force guide me to wherever I need to be- wherever we need to be.’

‘Is it like a… force gps signal?’, Din asked. 

Luke chuckled, his eyes crinkling up in that way that made Din want to kiss Luke.  _ Everything Luke does makes you want to kiss him, _ a traitorous part of Din’s mind supplied.  _ Shut up, _ Din thought. 

‘It’s less precise than that- I don’t get coordinates beamed into my head, it’s more like- a feeling- sometimes a place just  _ feels _ right’, Luke explained, steering the ship to the far side of Phindar. 

‘There’s a lot of feelings involved, huh?’, Din asked. Luke nodded. 

‘Emotions are… central to being a Jedi. You can’t really do much without understanding yourself’, Luke continued. ‘If you’re not calm you can’t… you won’t be powerful, you won’t be able to save the people you need to save, you won’t be able to keep the peace.’

Din cocked his head. 

‘I might not know anything about the force but… if you’re shaking with anger shooting a blaster is a lot harder’, he said. 

‘That’s a good analogy’, Luke said, smiling at Din. ‘It’s why I meditate so much. It helps keep me- centered. Helps me repel the dark side.’

‘I’ve been wondering for a while now… what exactly is the dark side? I mean the Empire was obviously… evil, but the galaxy isn’t that… simple’, Din asked. 

Luke was quiet for a while, staring out towards Phindar, starting the landing sequence. 

‘It’s- well, in a way it’s the easy way out. You can be powerful using your anger, but you will be unstable, you’ll be volatile. If you abandon your morals to protect the innocent for power… that’s the dark side… but you’re right- the galaxy isn’t as black and white as that. My father- well, Master Yoda said he fell to the dark side. But there was still some good in him in the very end… I think people- living beings have the capacity to be both good and evil and through the force there’s always… a certain amount of both in everyone. I don’t think there’s- it seems unlikely that a completely evil person exists. It’s just as unlikely as a completely good person.’

Din was quiet while Luke kept staring out of the cockpit. 

‘I suppose those who submit to the dark side make decisions out of… hate and anger. They either don’t have the will or the strength to resist the dark side… they might become extremely powerful, but… those who resist the dark side are more powerful than those who follow the dark side will ever be’, Luke finished. 

‘It still seems pretty black and white to me’, Din said. Luke finally turned around to look at him. 

‘I suppose it is, in a way… I don’t, well I don’t think I see it as strictly as the old Jedi Order did… I can only tell you what I feel, really. I believe that as a Jedi I have to protect the innocent and save those who cannot save themselves. That’s what I try to teach the kids too…’

Luke’s gaze seemed far away still, but Din leaned forwards to place a hand on Luke’s. 

‘I think- I understand that more… You try to be a just and good person. Those who use the power that they have for their own gains… that’s not a Jedi’, Din said. Luke’s eyes focussed back on him. He nodded. 

‘That sums it up’, he answered. 

‘Thank you for explaining’, Din said. 

Luke chuckled. 

‘You’re welcome. If you’re interested, you’re always welcome to join our philosophy classes’, Luke said, a smirk appearing on his face. 

‘I- well, I don’t know if I could concentrate on that… also I might be a distraction for everyone…’

Something flashed over Luke’s face and he started chewing on his bottom lip. Din was immediately entranced. 

‘You might be’, Luke whispered. Din felt his throat go dry. He wanted to sink his hands into Luke’s hair and pull him into his lap, feel how the other took of his helmet; he wanted to press his forehead against Luke’s, wanted to smash their lips together desperately, wanted to feel Luke run his teeth over Din’s bottom lip-

The computer beeped, ripping Din out of his daydream. Luke was staring at him with an unreadable expression, still worrying his lower lip. He was blushing slightly and after staring into Din’s visor for a few moments he let go of his lip and Din nearly gasped at how red and puffy Luke’s lips were. 

‘W-we’re here’, Luke whispered, his voice hoarse for some reason. 

Din cleared his throat and finally ripped his gaze away from Luke’s oh-so-enticing lips. 

‘The kid… they’re close?’, Din asked. Luke nodded after taking a deep breath and focussing on the landscape outside. They had entered the atmosphere without Din even realising it and Phindar’s jungle was stretching out in front of them. 

Luke landed underneath some large trees. 

‘I’m glad this jungle doesn’t have as much water as Dagobah’, he said as the two left the ship. ‘I crashed my X-Wing into a lake there and getting all that seaweed off was a menace.’

‘What were you doing on Dagobah?’, Din asked. ‘I thought it wasn’t civilized.’

Luke chuckled. 

‘Well, Obi-Wan’s ghost told me to go to the system to seek Master Yoda while I was freezing to death on Hoth’, Luke said. 

Din stopped in his tracks. 

‘What-’

Luke laughed, catching Din’s hand and squeezing it tightly. 

‘Don’t worry, Din, Han found me and stuffed me inside of his dead tauntaun.’

‘You enjoy telling me stories this way, don’t you’, Din grumbled, unable to hide the smile in his voice. The hand in his began tracing the outline of his thumb. 

‘It has its fun moments, yes’, Luke said. ‘I could practically hear you think  _ Jedi Shit.’ _

‘Jedi are kriffing weird’, Din answered. Luke’s smile only got more infectious and Din pressed a bit closer. 

Luke, using their intertwined hands, started leading Din into one specific direction. Din wasn’t sure what season it was on Phindar but he realised that the air seemed to be significantly hotter than it usually was on Yavin IV. 

‘This is much warmer than back home’, he grumbled. When Luke didn’t answer, he turned to the side only to catch Luke staring at him with an impossibly soft smile. 

‘What’, Din asked. 

‘You called it- you said  _ home’, _ Luke answered, his eyes wide and bright and Din realised that he finally found a contender for Grogu’s patented puppy dog stare. Luke looking at him like that made his heart dance in delight. 

‘We- well, Grogu is there. You-you’re there. That’s home’, he said gruffly. The look on Luke’s face only intensified and Din felt his face flush because apart from Grogu staring at him like that he’d never seen anything cuter. 

‘I want to hug you very badly but I think we’d both melt in this heat’, Luke said after a pause, looking at Din mournfully. 

‘On the way home’, Din answered, not even trying to mask the anticipation in his voice. 

‘That’s a promise.’

‘Promise’, Din said. 

Luke smiled at him and then grimaced. Letting go of Din’s hand, he wiped the sweat off of his face and unfastened the tunic that he was wearing, shrugging it off and wrapping it around his waist. Din’s heart stopped for a moment as Luke was left in only a tank top. Din knew how strong Luke was. Rationally at least, he knew that Luke’s arms were built to hold a lightsaber and do handstands every single morning and evening. He shouldn’t have been surprised by the smooth muscle of Luke’s exposed arms, he’d felt them around him for long enough, but seeing them like this was… quite different. He stared at the planes of smooth skin and only just suppressed a longing sigh. 

Luke slipped his hand back into Din’s and the skin contact made Din shiver even more, imagining how it must feel to be held by Luke like this… to feel the strength as Luke gathered him up in his arms gently, holding him through the night with such steadfastness it made Din’s heart ache. 

‘Din? Are you with me?’, Luke asked. 

Din blinked a few times. 

‘Uhhh. Yes. It’s- just very hot in here’, he said, his voice a bit creaky. 

‘Force, I can’t imagine how you’re suffering in all those layers’, Luke said, concerned. ‘Are you sure you’re alright?’

‘I’ll be fine’, Din assured Luke, who didn’t seem completely convinced, but when he opened his mouth to continue he suddenly stopped. 

‘Someone’s coming’, he said quickly, whirling around, letting go of Din’s hand and drawing his lightsaber. Din drew his blaster and his spear. 

‘Where from?’, Din whispered. 

‘I don’t know. Close’, Luke answered. 

Din stared hard into the jungle when suddenly he heard the now familiar tell-tale sound of two lightsabers being lit. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks so much for reading, let me know what you thought!!   
> was the luke tank top scene directly inspired by me watching empire? mayhaps. din and I both appreciate when luke walks around in a tanktop and im sure we're not alone in that  
> sorry to leave u guys on a cliff again, but honestly the more action laden parts of this story just kinda... lend themselves to this stuff.   
> as always feel free to talk to me, my tumblr is @mandalourian


	28. Old Friends

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Luke and Din run into someone they hadn't been expecting.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> okay before we get into this whole thing, im gonna address something real quick. as a disclaimer, this is not meant to sound ungrateful in any sense. I truly appreciate each and every single comment and kudo you guys leave. your support for this fic is truly amazing and im blown away by it.  
> that being said, id like to just say real quick that comments that pressure a writer to 'update as soon as you can' or that ask for new content the second you post a new chapter can be quite off putting and make writers less inclined to continue because of the pressure.  
> just... think if a comment is asking the writer to disregard their life in favour of writing a new chapter. I know most of the people writing this are just excited about this and and I really appreciate that, id just like to ask that you maybe formulate it in a way that isn't pressuring.  
> all of that being said, i hope you all enjoy today's chapter!

Din wasn’t fast enough in whirling around to prevent the clashing of sabers behind him. It took him a few moments to figure out what was going on and at that point, Luke was already crossing sabers with a cloaked person wielding two white lightsabers that looked strangely familiar. 

‘Ahsoka?’, Din yelled, keeping his blaster drawn. 

‘Wha- you’re not Ana- Din?’, the hooded person said, jumping back from Luke who looked about as confused as Din was. 

‘You- you’re Ahsoka?’, Luke asked, lowering his saber. The hooded person turned the twin sabers off and pulled the hood from her face. Din recognized the two blue and white montrals on her head. 

‘You- who are you?’, Ahsoka asked, staring at Liuke with intent. She seemed absolutely rattled. 

‘I’m Luke Skywalker’, Luke said. Ahsoka let out a pained breath. 

‘That’s why- I- I thought- your presence feels similar to…  _ his  _ presence’, Ahsoka said, dropping out of her fighting stance. Luke turned off his saber as well, sheathing it and looking at Din, checking him quickly and turning back to Ahsoka. 

‘I- well, I- don’t really know what to say’, Luke said. 

‘That makes two of us’, Ahsoka said, but her shoulders seemed less tense and there was the tiniest smile on her face. 

‘What are you doing here?’, Din asked. Ahsoka turned towards him, nodding in greeting. 

‘I felt someone needed my help. I saw… a child. In pain’, she elaborated. ‘I had to come.’

‘I did, too. The strange thing is that about two months ago we blew up a shipyard not too far from here… and I only felt a small disturbance that was gone… quickly. I don’t know how I could’ve missed it’, Luke said, staring at his feet. Din stood closer to him and put a hand on his shoulder. 

‘You were unconscious on the way back’, he said softly. Luke leaned into the touch slightly and sighed. 

‘Whatever the reason, we have to find them’, he answered, looking up at Ahsoka. 

‘Will you- can I ask you to help us? I know you probably have… mixed feelings about me- from what Obi-Wan tells me at least that much is clear-’

Ahsoka’s eyes seemed to flit in between Din and Luke, grazing over the hand on Luke’s shoulder. A lop-sided smile appeared on her face. 

‘I- well, I have to admit that my emotions were a bit clouded since you feel so much like your father, but- you don’t… you’re not him. I will help you.’

Din could feel Luke’s relief wafting through his body as his shoulders lost some of their tension. 

‘Thank you, Master Tano’, Luke said, the gratitude evident in his voice. 

‘You’re welcome, but don’t call me Master. I’m technically not a Jedi and hearing a Skywalker call me Master… that’s just weird’, Ahsoka answered, a bit of mirth in her voice. 

‘I- well I suppose that makes sense’, Luke said. ‘Thank you Ahsoka, it is then.’

Ahsoka nodded and turned to Din who was still holding onto Luke, not planning on letting go anytime soon. 

‘I suppose that means you’ve found Grogu a home and a master then?’, she asked. ‘I’m glad. I’ve been keeping an eye on his development from afar. He seems to be doing quite well.’

Din nodded. 

‘Grogu is an excellent student’, Luke said, a fond smile that made Din’s heart ache, on his face. 

‘He has an excellent teacher’, Din muttered. Luke turned his face toward him and smiled sweetly, putting one of his hands on Din’s softly. Din stared at him, completely forgetting about Ahsoka for a moment. Luke seemed to do the same since he blinked in confusion when Ahsoka continued. 

‘I know’, she said. Din and Luke whipped their heads back toward her only to see her try to barely hide an amused smirk. ‘I could sense his progress.’

‘O-oh. Thank you. I- I’m trying to rebuild… the Order… well, in a sense at least. With some modifications and some… reforms…’, Luke trailed off. 

‘That is a wise course of action, skygu-, I mean Luke’, Ahsoka said, a painful expression crossing her face. 

‘It is wise’, a voice from the bushes came. Din whipped around for the second time that day, letting go of Luke and drawing his blaster, only to see the now familiar blue outline of Obi-Wan Kenobi leaning against a tree. 

‘Didn’t we talk to you like five hours ago?’, Din said, exasperated. Obi-Wan smiled serenely, stroking his beard. His blue eyes twinkled.

‘Well yes indeed, you did. But you hadn’t met Ahsoka yet.’

‘Master’, Ahsoka said, her voice thick with tears. 

‘Hello there, Ahsoka’, Obi wan answered kindly. ‘I’m glad to see you.’

‘I- I- me too’, Ahsoka said. Din supposed that there was some history between the two of them that he didn’t know about. 

‘Master, why did you appear?’, Luke asked, stepping next to Din, much closer than needed. Their shoulders were brushing. 

‘I came to warn you. Do not rush into this. The future is clouded and what you’re about to attempt is dangerous. Do not let the dark side cloud your judgement’, Obi-Wan said seriously. 

‘Yes, Master’, Luke and Ahsoka said at the same time. They exchanged glances and Obi-Wan smiled mournfully. 

‘Ahsoka. I- I’m glad you found Luke… for both of your sakes. It’s- I hope you can help each other when dealing with my- our- the Order’s failure’, Obi-Wan continued. ‘You- both of you are the future… not only of the Jedi Order, but of the rekindling of an understanding of the force in the galaxy. You are our hope. I am… I could not be prouder of you. Both of you.’

Din, who had been periodically checking Luke’s face saw how vulnerable the other looked. Almost on instinct he brushed the back of his hand against Luke’s, an offer and a reminder that he was there in case Luke needed him. Luke took his hand and squeezed as he smiled at Obi-Wan, his eyes bright with unshed tears. Next to him, Ahsoka’s face was more complicated to decipher. Din supposed he knew Luke’s expressions much better than Ahsoka’s, so it wasn’t too surprising. Ahsoka seemed to be holding back tears as well, a sad smile resting on her face. 

‘Thank you’, Luke whispered. Ahsoka nodded, apparently not trusting herself to speak. 

Obi-Wan smiled warmly and Din got the impression that the other had been a father figure to Ahsoka similar to the one that he had been to Luke. 

‘No need, my dears. Now, you must go on with caution. Do not let yourselves be deceived. May the force be with you’, Obi-Wan said, nodding at Din with a fond smile and disappearing into thin air again. 

All three of them were quiet for a long while. Ahsoka and Luke seemed lost in thought so Din cleared his throat. 

‘So, old masters just kind of regularly pop in for a chat?’, he asked. Luke blinked a few times and then turned his head towards him. 

‘Yeah- yeah they do’, Luke said, with a wistful smile. ‘Although Obi-Wan hasn’t… he didn’t use to visit quite this much.’

‘I’m surprised he wasn’t drinking tea’, Ahsoka said drily. ‘You always used to get the best advice out of him after Cody made him sleep for eight hours and brought him tea in the morning.’

‘Cody?’, Luke asked. Ahsoka winced. 

‘Ah… Commander Cody. He was… he was Obi-Wan’s clone commander during the Wars- they were quite close- before everything, that is’, Ahsoka explained with a far-away look on her face. Luke narrowed his eyes at her, but he seemed to shelve his questions for later. 

‘Is it a Jedi thing to refuse to sleep?’, Din asked. Luke, who was still holding his hand, turned back around to face him so Din could see his fond eye roll. 

‘I’ve gotten better at it’, Luke grumbled. 

‘Slightly. And I still have to drag you to bed sometimes.’

‘Rarely.’

‘It happened three days ago, Luke.’

‘Like master, like student, I suppose’, Ahsoka laughed. When Din turned back to face her, she stared at him with such a knowing smirk that he blushed underneath the helmet. Luke chuckled. 

‘I guess.’

‘I can see that applies to more than one thing’, Ahsoka said with a smirk. Luke choked on his spit and Din turned towards him worriedly, but the other just shook his head. Din couldn’t help but notice how red Luke had gotten. He hoped Luke hadn’t swallowed a nasty bug or something. 

‘Anyway’, Luke croaked. ‘We should- we should probably head… to the kid… save them. Yes.’

Ahsoka nodded, pulling her hood back over her head. Luke let go of Din’s hand with a last squeeze and pulled his own dark hood over his hair. 

The three of them, led by Luke and Ahsoka, headed further and further into the jungle. It was getting darker and darker outside and the jungle around them began to croak with strange noises that reminded Din of the grub back on Yavin. He didn’t appreciate the similarity. 

‘I hope they don’t have leviathan grub here’, Din grumbled. Luke shuddered. 

‘I don’t think they do…’, he answered. 

‘I think we’re close’, Ahsoka interjected, darting behind a tree. Din and Luke followed her example and the two Jedi and the Mandalorian stuck their heads out from their hiding place. 

The only thing they could see was a plain-looking blast door that seemed to lead into a hill just behind it. There were two stormtroopers guarding it. Their armour was dirtied and had obviously seen quite some use. 

‘This seems like the right place’, Luke whispered. Ahsoka nodded. 

‘Those look like nothing more than privates’, Ahsoka whispered back. 

‘How do you know?’, Din asked. 

‘Higher ranking troopers have additional armour or some form of insignia. These ones just look plain’, Ahsoka explained. ‘It- well, it used to be easier to distinguish them. When the clones weren’t just mindless drones that followed orders… they had lives… personalities… we- Obi-Wan, Master Plo, A-Anakin, everyone… we were their friends. Every clone used to have his own specific armour, his own insignia… his own thoughts and ideas and traits.’

Ahsoka stared into the distance for a while. 

‘The clones… they and Anakin betrayed the Jedi, didn’t they?’, Din asked. Luke, who was next to him, stared at his boots again. ‘Ah, I’m sorry, Luke, I-’

Luke held up his hand, leaning against Din’s shoulder in reassurance. 

‘It’s fine. It’s the facts.’

‘They did betray the Jedi’, Ahsoka started. ‘But it was more malicious than that- we’d- well I had left the Order by that point, but the Jedi had been fighting alongside the clones for- years. They were friends, partners… some of the Jedi Generals had… especially close ties with their commanders… you can’t just undo something like that. Not unless you change… delete their emotional capacity. The clones were created with a chip in their brain that contained the order to kill all the Jedi close to them. It was part of their genetic makeup… not matter what… These clones, these friends of the Jedi were born, created… engineered to kill their best friends, their leaders, without knowing it.’

Din was speechless. 

‘That- that’s even worse than I thought’, Luke murmured, his voice shaking. 

Ahsoka only nodded, staring at the stormtroopers a bit longer. 

‘We have to stop them from hurting this child any more’, Luke finally said. 

‘You’re right’, Ahsoka said. ‘What’s the plan?’

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks so much for reading!!! let me know what you thought.  
> i realise that i am fully ignoring how the force after life works in order to have obi-wan pop in randomly but in my defense... obi-wan cute...  
> i also hope i properly characterized ashoka for all yall simps out there... i love her a lot and im really excited to keep writing her perspective on things!! altho i have to say that i haven't yet finished clone wars (i know i know, ive been procrastiniating bc i dont want it to end sdfsdf) so i might not know all of the plot points yet... if something doesn't make sense, bare with me please sdfffsdf  
> also u guys dont know how hard i just had to hold back from going on a 2k word ramble about how fucking tragic the clones' story is because holy shit this hurts me... every time I think of that fives quote i start tearing up... fucking clone wars emotionally destroying me even tho it's a KIDS SHOW  
> anyway, as always, if u wanna follow me or talk to me, my tumblr is @mandalourian


	29. Attack

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Luke, Din and Ahsoka make their way towards the child.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi yall!! i hope you enjoy today's chapter! again, it's a bit short bc i had a long fucken day today, but i think it works still

‘I hate going in there without knowing what we’re facing’, Luke said, his face scrunched up. ‘But I don’t think we have a choice. I can feel their- the kid’s pain.’

Ahsoka nodded. 

‘Me too… it’s- terrifying.’

‘We need a distraction’, Din whispered. 

‘Din’s right’, Luke whispered. ‘We need to get in there without alerting anyone.’

‘How?’, Ahsoka asked. 

Din looked at Luke, who was staring into nothing, with a hand stroking over his chin. 

‘Like student, like master’, Din said, a wide grin on his face. 

‘-what?’, Luke asked, confused. 

‘You’re stroking your imaginary beard.’

‘...am I really?’

Din nodded. Luke giggled lightly, putting a hand on Din’s arm. Warmth coursed through Din. 

‘We can’t all have beards that look as good as yours’, Luke whispered, his eyes twinkling. Din wanted to kiss him

‘You’d look great with a beard’, Din answered, leaning forwards a bit. 

‘You think so?’, Luke whispered, leaning his forearm against the tree that they were using as a hiding spot. It made something in Din’s chest jump around excitedly. 

‘Mn. It would look very distinguished.’

‘Hmm… we could represent the two ends of the beard spectrum… raggedly handsome and distinguished’, Luke said, a warm, teasing tilt in his voice that made Din imagine- 

‘I don’t want to interrupt, but beards really aren’t the most important thing right now’, Ahsoka interjected. Luke and Din both whipped their heads around towards her direction. Din had completely forgotten that she was standing there. He and Luke had been… in their own little world.

Ahsoka didn’t seem to be massively upset. She looked at them sternly but there was a hint of amusement in her tone as she grumbled something along the lines of _ kriffing Skywalkers _ and  _ I thought Obi-Wan and Cody were bad. _ Din didn’t really know what to make of that but he blushed profusely and he could see by the back of Luke’s neck that he was in a similar situation. 

‘Ah- sorry. Yes. Plans. We need a distraction’, Luke said, clearing his throat. 

‘Could you guys like… do the whole force shit and bring down a tree or something a bit away from the entrance?’, Din asked. 

‘That’s an idea’, Ahsoka said. ‘Let me try. Get ready, we’ll have to be quick.’

Din and Luke nodded and Ahsoka crouched down gracefully. Din mused that innate elegance must be a Jedi thing as Ahsoka closed her eyes and raised a hand, her fingers moving minutely. For a moment, nothing happened, but Din understood the force enough to realise that it would only be a matter of time until  _ something  _ happened. 

He was right. A loud crash reverberated through the air and the two guards whipped their heads around to the other side of the clearing. Ahsoka smirked. 

‘There we go’, she whispered as the troopers ran towards the jungle brandishing their weapons. Ahsoka, Din and Luke made their way to the door quickly. Din kept a lookout for the troopers while Luke leant forward, fiddling with the lock and hot wiring it. 

‘Hurry, they might be back any second’, Din whispered.

‘Got it!’, Luke answered and the blast doors slid open. 

And they were faced with fifty people in uniforms and storm trooper armour who immediately went into defensive positions, drawing their weapons. 

‘Well, kriff’, Ahsoka deadpanned. 

‘What was that about not wanting to be seen?’, Luke yelled as he and Ahsoka drew their sabers and Din drew his blaster. The officers started shooting and Din stepped behind the door frame, using it as cover. 

‘Details, details’, Din shouted. Luke and Ahsoka were easily deflecting the blasts with their lightsaber. Din had to admit that he would never not be in awe of Luke fighting. His green lightsaber illuminated the bottom of his face that was visible under the low hood. His strikes were precise and elegant and he twirled and sidestepped every blast with such grace that Din was completely entranced. 

Din shook his head. There was time to admire Luke’s sheer power when he was training with him, not when there were about fifty blasters pointed at them. 

Din used the fact that the troopers seemed to be as entranced by the sabers as he had been to shoot a few of them, focussing on the troopers who held the bigger guns. 

Next to Luke, Ahsoka was using her twin sabers with precision and practiced ease. It was interesting to see her own personal fighting style… Din had seen glimpses of it before, but in contrast with Luke’s it was obviously distinct. Luke, who only had one saber, had to maneuver a lot more while Ashoka only needed to lift one of her sabers to block a blast. Ahsoka’s fighting also reminded Din more of a cat hunting its prey while Luke’s felt less smooth and efficient and more powerful. 

The troopers were obviously overwhelmed by the two Jedi and they backed away. Din remained behind the door, taking aim at any trooper he could see. He focussed on the ones who seemed to be trying to contact superiors. 

It took the three of them a while to advance into the room. When they had managed to push the troops to the middle of the room, Luke jumped onto one of the consoles standing in the large entrance hall with a somersault, using his feet to knock any trooper and any uniformed officer around him unconscious. Ahsoka was a flurry of white, deadly light, mowing down any person who attacked her. Din followed the two Jedi into the room, blasting his attackers and using the string in his control pad to tie up one of the officers, depositing the squirming man on one of the chairs. 

After about ten minutes, they had managed to either kill or mostly knock out the people in the hall except for the man Din had tied up. 

‘Alright’, Din started, walking towards the man who was still wiggling in his bindings. ‘Where are they?’

The officer stared at him in confusion and fear. 

‘Who?’, he asked, shaking. 

‘The kid. The one you’re torturing.’

‘There’s- there’s no kids here… this is a research facility.’

‘A research facility?’, Luke asked, stepping up next to Din. Din clenched his teeth. 

‘The kriff are you researching, how to kill children slowly?’, he asked, remembering the facility on Nevarro. 

‘I- no, we- this is just a  _ restian  _ research facility… there’s not kids here, I swear! I’m telling the truth! Please don’t kill me’, the man said, his voice hysterical. 

‘He’s telling the truth’, Luke said. ‘Or at least he believes he is.’

‘We won’t kill you’, Ahsoka said, walking towards them and turning off her lightsabers. ‘But we will turn you over to the authorities.’

Luke nodded. 

‘As soon as we’re done I’ll contact Leia’, he said. ‘Before we head down further, we should tie them all up.’

The three of them set to work handcuffing the unconscious men together, leaving as soon as everyone had been secured. 

‘What do you think they’re actually researching?’, Luke asked, turning his head towards Din and Ahsoka.

‘I don’t know. It seems nefarious, no matter how you put it’, Ahsoka said. 

‘The last Empire research facility I was in was researching something that they needed Grogu’s tissue sample for’, Din added, clenching his fists. ‘If this is the same thing…’

‘Why would they need Grogu’s tissue?’, Luke asked, appalled. ‘Are they trying to… clone him?’

‘Well, Grogu’s species is… strong with the force. I don’t know much about them- there could be something in the genetic makeup that makes them particularly sensitive to the force’, Ahsoka mused, leading them down a corridor, stopping at a corner and carefully glancing around it. ‘Clear.’

‘Maybe they’re trying to clone force-sensitive children’, Luke whispered. ‘They- oh, kriff-’

Luke toppled forwards and if Din hadn’t been hurrying along right next to him and had reached out to catch him in time, he would’ve probably tripped. 

‘Luke??’, Din asked, a stab of anxiety in his gut. 

‘Kriff, they- ouch- dank farrik, the kid… they’re close… shit, that hurts’, Luke panted. Din held him in his arms as Luke clutched his head. 

‘I can sense it, but not as strongly’, Ahsoka said, the only thing revealing her pain the tight clench of her jaw. 

‘We- kriff- we need to find them’, Luke groaned lowly, pushing himself up on Din and stumbling forwards to a door at the other end of the corridor. Din had an arm around his waist, steadying the Jedi. 

‘This needs a key card’, Din commented after inspecting the door. 

‘Good thing I think ahead’, Ahsoka commented, producing a white keycard from her belt. ‘I picked this up from one of the officers.’

‘Oh. Smart’, Din said, dumbly. 

Ahsoka snorted and stepped to the door. She drew one of her lightsabers and Din could feel Luke do the same. Din grasped his blaster tightly in one hand while the other stayed tight around Luke’s waist. 

With a last glance back to the other two, Ahsoka put the keycard in front of the lock and the door slid open with a  _ whoosh  _ as Luke led out a painful whimper. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks so much for reading!! let me know what you thought!!!  
> aaaand here we are with another cliffhanger, sorry u guys but they're just too good to use in these action parts sdfdffsf  
> as always if u wanna talk to me feel free to, my tumblr is @mandalourian


	30. Breach

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ahsoka, Luke and Din find what's in the room and quite a bit more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi yall!! i hope u enjoy today's chapter!!   
> General TW for violence and child mistreatement and panic attacks  
> ...also i just realised ive been misspelling ahsoka for the past three chapters and im gonna crawl into a hole and die IM SO SORRY QUEEN  
> anyway i fixed it now but omg how did i not notice this sdfsfsdfsdf

Din would’ve called himself somewhat hardened by his life. You couldn’t really be a bounty hunter without seeing a few things that you never wanted to see. He’d killed people, hardened war criminals in cold blood before, since the puck demanded it. He’d also seen firsthand how terrifying the empire remnants could be. 

But the sight in front of him still made his stomach turn. 

A kid was sitting at a large assembly line. There were multiple stormtroopers guarding them. The kid themselves looked to be about Tionne’s age. They had short, bright red hair and tan skin. Their deep brown eyes were filled with tears, their face dusty and streaked with dried tears. Din clenched his hand around his blaster as he saw the child’s hands. The skin was bright red and scarred. The assembly line was running past them slowly and there were small pieces of a familiar metal lying on it. The kid was currently holding one piece of  _ restian  _ in their hand, clenching their teeth and whimpering, while they held a shaking hand over the metal. 

Some of the troopers had been standing behind the child, one of them holding a weapon to their head. As soon as they’d heard the door slide open, the child and the troopers turned to face Din, Luke and Ahsoka. 

Din let out a growl and he could hear Luke curse in pain while Ahsoka’s face seemed absolutely livid. 

‘Who-’, one of the troopers started, but Ashoka held out her hand resolutely and sent five troopers, including the one holding the gun to the kid’s head flying against the wall. There were about five other troopers in the room and Ahsoka made quick work of themtoo, immediately hurrying over to the kid at the assembly line. 

The child looked absolutely terrified. Din couldn’t blame them, he was sure that the three of them were quite a scary sight. Din helped Luke into the room, supporting him with a tight grip on his hips. Ahsoka had arrived and was talking to the kid in a hushed voice, using her lightsaber to cut the cuffs that were holding the kid to the assembly line. 

When Din had arrived next to the kid alongside Luke, Ahsoka looked up. 

‘This is Lyra. She’s very hurt’, Ahsoka said, her voice low. Luke made to kneel down in front of Lyra, and Din kneeled down next to him, supporting him. 

‘Hi Lyra’, Luke whispered, tentatively reaching out a hand, waiting to see if Lyra would take it. ‘I’m Luke. This is Ahsoka and Din. We’re here to rescue you.’

‘R-rescue?’, Lyra whimpered. 

‘Yes’, Ahsoka said, still kneeling next to Lyra. ‘Is it alright if I lift you up to get you out of here or would you like to walk on your own?’

Lyra stared at Ahsoka with wide eyes. 

‘W-why are you asking me?’, she whispered and Din felt anger boil in his gut. 

‘Because I don’t want to do anything that makes you feel uncomfortable’, Ahsoka explained, her voice warm and concerned. 

‘Would you like to come with us? We can heal you properly and give you a home’, Luke whispered. 

‘I-I- yes’, Lyra whispered, reaching out her hand to take Luke’s. 

‘Luke, Din can you take her? I’ll keep a lookout for the way back’, Ahsoka said, getting up. Din nodded and he could feel Luke’s shaking lessen as he carefully led Lyra away from the assembly line. Lyra’s steps were shaky and Din could see how painful each move was. Luke winced with every step that Lyra took. 

‘Kid’, Din said, trying to make his voice sound as soft and gentle as Luke’s and Ahsoka’s. ‘Do you- it looks like you’re hurting, do you want to ride on my back?’

Lyra stared at him with large eyes while Luke sent him a soft smile. 

‘I- you can talk’, Lyra whispered. ‘I thought you were one of those droids.’

Luke choked on his spit and Din thought he heard Ahsoka stifle a giggle. 

‘I can talk.’

‘You’re really tall.’

Din glanced at Luke who was just looking at the interaction with an incredibly warm and fond smile. 

‘Uhh… well… yes. If you let me carry you, you can be tall to!’, Din answered, unsure of why Luke was looking at him with such sheer softness. 

‘I can be?’, Lyra said, still shaking, but reaching out a small hand towards Din, who nodded. 

‘Is it okay if I lift you up?’, Din asked. Lyra hesitated for a moment and then nodded. 

Din shot a look at Luke who only nodded and disentangled himself from Din. He looked less pained now and although he was still walking hunched over, he didn’t seem to be in pain anymore. Letting his hand slip over the small of Luke’s back slowly, Din kneeled down next to Lyra and slowly, carefully reached his hands out to pick up the small girl, depositing her on his back, with his arms under her legs and her arms hanging around his neck. 

‘Wow’, Lyra said and Din could feel how much she was shaking and some primal anger inside of him made him want to destroy anyone who had dared to hurt this sweet kid. 

‘You okay back there?’, he asked, trying his best to mask his sudden anger. Luke put a hand on the fabric of Din’s upper arm and Din took a deep breath, calming down.  _ I have a mission to focus on. Get her out and to safety. _

‘Let me check if they’re holding any other prisoners here’, Ahsoka said, hurrying over to a terminal at the side of the room. 

‘Good idea’, Luke said, hurrying after her now with only a slight limp in his step. The two Jedi hunched over the terminal for a while until Ahsoka cursed. 

‘No other prisoners, but these bastards are the kriffing worst’, she said and Din had the thought that he was very glad that Ahsoka was on his side. ‘They’re- kriffing hell, they’ve been using her to refine  _ restian  _ for- for months now… dank farrik this is disgusting.’

‘Refine  _ restian? _ What- how?’, Din asked. Luke turned to look at him. Din was shocked by how livid Luke’s expression was. He’d never seen the other look quite so angry. When he caught Din’s gaze, he took a deep breath, closing his eyes, unclenching his jaw and relaxing his face. 

‘Apparently  _ restian  _ is only useful if… if someone manipulates the atomic structure… that can either be done by very expensive machines… or with the help of the force’, Luke explained, opening his eyes. 

‘So they used Lyra- as a refiner?’, Din said, gritting his teeth. Luke nodded solemnly. 

‘Let’s get out of here. We can blow the entire thing up on our way out’, Ahsoka said, stepping back from the terminal with an unreadable expression on her face. 

‘Good idea. I’ll call Leia for the arrests’, Luke said, reaching for his arm and pressing a few buttons on the control panel. 

‘Leia?’, he asked after a few beeps. No answer. 

‘That’s strange’, Luke mumbled. ‘I’ll try again outside, let’s go.’

Din and Ahsoka nodded and the three of them walked out of the room. 

‘I- I don’t recognize this place’, Ahsoka said, frowning. She had been the first to step out of the room and she had stopped walking. Din and Luke looked past her to see that she was right: the corridor that had been there before her was covered in green mist. In fact, it didn’t seem like they were in a corridor at all. It looked like they had just walked into a large cavern, with eerie-looking plants hanging from the ceiling. 

Lyra whimpered on Din’s back and he automatically tightened his grip on her to make sure she wouldn’t fall. Luke stepped around Ahsoka and closed his eyes. 

‘This is an illusion’, he said. 

‘How?’, Ahsoka asked. 

‘I don’t know’, Luke answered, frowning. ‘But we haven’t moved… there’s something… coming… something dark… strong…’

Din stared at Luke when suddenly, the Jedi turned towards him. 

‘Din. Use your thermal scan and run. Get yourself and Lyra to safety. Call Leia when you can’, Luke said, his eyes wide with alarm. 

‘Luke what-’

‘Just do it, please. This- whatever it is, this person is strong with the dark side. Ahsoka and I can hold them off, but you need to get Lyra out of here’, Luke said urgently, stepping close to Din and pressing a hand on his chest.

‘Luke’s right, Din. Protect Lyra’, Ahsoka said, lighting her two sabers. 

‘Please’, Luke whispered. 

‘I don’t want to leave you alone-’

‘I won’t be alone.’

Din closed his eyes for a moment and he took a deep breath. 

‘Be- be careful. I’m not leaving this planet without you’, he whispered. 

Luke smiled at him and put his free hand that wasn’t grasping his lightsaber onto Din’s helmet. 

‘Be safe. I  _ will  _ see you again. May the force be with you’, he whispered, leaning forwards to press a kiss onto Din’s helmet, right above his cheek. Din let out a soft, longing sigh and he untangled one hand from Lyra’s legs, wrapping his gloved hand around the back of Luke’s neck, caressing it gently and pressing his forehead against Luke’s. He could see Luke closing his eyes for a second before the other drew back with a longing expression on his face. Din let his hand glide softly over Luke’s cheekbones, catching on his lips for just a second before he blinked, nodded and let go of the Jedi. 

‘May the force be with you’, he said, nodding to Ahsoka, using his free hand to switch on his thermal scanner, turning away from Luke with one last glance and running down the corridor that his scanner was showing him through the green mist. He grasped Lyra tightly and did his damndest to stop himself from looking back at the two Jedi he was leaving behind. 

He ran and ran and ran and he could feel Lyra shaking and crying and his heart broke for the young girl.  _ No kid should have to go through this, _ he thought bitterly. 

He could hear the sounds of lightsabers behind him along with something that sounded like a whip slashing through the air. 

‘Hang on Lyra, I’ll get you out’, Din said, more to himself than Lyra. He still couldn’t see anything but the misty green fog and he would’ve been utterly lost without his scanners. But the more he ran, the more he could see the mist clearing until suddenly, he ran out of a particularly dense cloud and he was standing back in the entrance room with the unconscious troopers. 

‘Wha- kriff’, Din whispered, immediately making his way out of the door into the bright daylight of Phindar. 

‘See, we made it kid’, Din said, running towards the jungle and hiding behind one of the large trees. He checked his surroundings carefully, both with his own eyes and with the thermal scanner, but he couldn’t pick up anything but a few birds that he’d startled. 

Slowly, carefully, Din kneeled down, putting Lyra down to lean against the tree. He turned around immediately. Lyra was staring at him with wide eyes and her entire small body was shaking in fear. 

‘Hey, hey, kid. It’s okay. You’re safe. You’re outside. See? The sun is shining and everything will be okay’, Din said. He felt utterly inadequate. 

Lyra only stared at him more. Tears were streaming down her face and she started sobbing quietly. Din chastised himself for his inability to calm her down. 

_ What would Luke do, _ he wondered. With a frown, he leaned forwards, holding out a hand. 

‘Hey, is it okay if I hold your hand? You’ll be safe if you just hold on tight, okay? I’ll protect you and we’ll wait for Luke and Ahsoka to come out here and they’ll help you, okay? They’re very strong.’

Lyra kept sobbing but she tentatively took Din’s hand, grasping weakly at first and tighter and tighter with every new sob that wracked her small body. 

‘Okay, you’re doing great, Lyra. Just hold on. You’ll be okay’, Din murmured, trying to get his voice to sound as soothing as Luke’s did whenever he soothed Tionne after a particularly nasty nightmare.

Lyra kept crying but her sobs were becoming less violent and slowly but surely, she crawled closer to Din, burying her free hand in the fabric covering his arm. 

‘It’s going to be okay’, Din whispered, gently placing a hand on Lyra’s back, waiting to see if she was alright with it. Lyra didn’t move away, so Din started gently patting her back. 

‘We’ll get you somewhere safe and we’ll heal you and you’ll be okay’, Din kept mumbling, almost as a mantra. ‘It’s going to be okay. You’re safe, kid.’

Lyra’s sobs were getting weaker and weaker and her head started leaning against Din’s arm. An idea crossed Din’s mind and he immediately started humming the song he’d sang for Luke just the night before, letting the familiar melody wash over him and timing his gentle pats to be in tune with the soft lullaby. 

Lyra seemed to appreciate the song since Din could feel her body relax and sack against Din’s knees gently. He continued to hum the song, patting her back until he realised that Lyra had fallen asleep on his lap. The sight made a protective instinct inside of him well up. Careful not to wake Lyra, Din scooped the sleeping girl up in his arms holding her close to his chest, balancing her on one arm, his other arm on his blaster. 

Din turned to watch the entrance of the bunker, using a branch that was sticking out of the tree next to him to push the button on his communicator. 

‘Leia?’, he asked, as soon as he heard the familiar static sound. 

‘Yes?’, the garbled answer came a few seconds later. ‘What did you find, Din?’

‘We found a bunker filled with empire troops and a force sensitive girl who had to refine the restian they were using for the shipyard with her bare hands. I got her out, but… there’s a bunch of unconscious empire troops and that’s not the weirdest thing’, Din explained. 

‘What is?’, Leia asked. 

‘There was this… mist… illusion thing when we tried to make our way back. Luke and Ahsoka stayed behind to fight someone who’s supposed to be good with the dark side… Luke told me to get the kid out.’

The line was quiet for a while. 

‘I’m sending troops for extraction. We need to arrest those people and help Luke as soon as possible’, Leia finally answered. ‘Hold your position and take care of the kid.’

‘Bring a medic, the kid’s injured. And in shock’, Din said. 

‘Copy that.’

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks so much for reading!! let me know what you thought!  
> the next chapter is going to be a bit different hehe, but you'll see just what that means tomorrow   
> also oh my god do i love dramatic goodbye scenes bc those bitches just tug at your fucking heart strings sdgsdfs  
> if you have any theories about what's going on here i would be v delighted to hear them   
> as always feel free to talk to me on tumblr @mandalourian


	31. Luke Pt.1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Luke and Ahsoka have to fight the mysterious force wielder.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi yall!! i hope you enjoy this special chapter from drumroll please.... luke's perspective!!  
> i didn't want to deprive you guys of actually experiencing the fight first hand so we have a bit of a break in narrative but just think of this as a bonus look!!  
> i won't upload tomorrow, so you're getting a longer chapter today, but i'll see you guys with a new chapter on monday!!

When he’d woken up in Din’s arms this morning, Luke had almost let himself believe that today was going to be a good day. It was difficult to think of anything bad when he opened his eyes to see Din smiling at him when Din’s smile was… gorgeous, breathtaking and so damn precious. It was difficult to think of anything but how Din’s lips would feel underneath his when the other stared at him with such intent, when he leaned forward so close that their noses brushed. It was only natural that Luke had wanted to believe that today would be a good day. The past two months had been… fantastic. Maybe he’d been asking for too much, because the current situation was… well, quite frankly it was an absolute mess. 

Luke had no idea what kind of crazy dark side power was able to turn a hallway into a cavern, but he was sure that it wasn’t a simple feat. He stopped himself from watching Din leave with Lyra on his back. He could still feel the phantom press of Din’s gloved hand running over his face, catching on his lips. Luke’s entire being screamed at him to get out and run after Din, to turn him around, take off his helmet and kiss him, kiss him and kiss him and kiss him and  _ kiss him _ until the world didn’t matter anymore and until they were both too out of breath to continue. But he knew deep in his soul that he couldn’t do that. He couldn’t, wouldn’t let the violence that had happened to Lyra go without justice, no matter his personal feelings. 

‘Luke, are you with me?’, Ahsoka asked, ripping Luke out of his thoughts. 

‘Yes. Can you sense anything?’, Luke asked, gripping his lightsaber tightly and closing his eyes, reaching out with the force. There was the tell-tale hum, the comforting presence of the force all around him. Ahsoka, who he realised felt very strangely familiar, was a strong presence next to him and he could still feel the faint pain of Lyra getting further and further away from him. 

‘I can’t’, Ahsoka answered. Luke hummed, clearing his mind. He could feel… something. It felt old and resentful and dark, but it took him a while to figure out where it was coming from. It was a confusing mix. The presence didn’t feel like the emperor or his father or even the place on Dagobah, it felt more…  _ arcane,  _ almost. Suddenly, he realised something, jumping back. 

‘Above you!’, Luke shouted and Ahsoka twirled to the side just in time to avoid a whip made out of light stretch out from the ceiling. Luke and Ahsoka moved to stand next to each other as the person on the ceiling snarled. 

‘Well, well, well, what do we have here? Some sneaky little Jedi who slipped past the extermination’, the person said, jumping down from the ceiling. Luke couldn’t recognize what species the person was apart from vaguely humanoid. They were wearing a dark red outfit with a pointy triangle hood, dark red mask covering the lower part of their face and a bow hanging over their shoulder. The person was holding a light whip in a nasty red colour. 

‘Who the kriff are you?’, Ahsoka asked, lighting her lightsaber. Luke did the same, dropping into a fighting stance and making sure that his dark hood was still covering his face. 

‘Ohoho, how the mighty Jedi have fallen’, the person laughed, sounding almost maniacal. ‘You’ve forgotten all about other force wielders.’

‘You’re not a sith’, Luke said, sternly. The person laughed more, a crazy edge to their voice. 

‘Oh, what a limited imagination you have, young one. How old are you anyway, child? In the old days you would still be stuck as a padawan, wouldn’t you? Oh this will be fun’, the person said. Luke still couldn’t make out any features of the person underneath the hood. 

‘You know, I thought people would stop calling me kid when I’m nearly thirty’, he grumbled under his breath. Ahsoka threw him a glance. 

‘Trust me, people who want to belittle you will always make you seem like you’re a child.’

Luke hummed. 

‘Two little failed Jedi stepped right into my trap’, the person interjected. ‘And they’re so chatty… oh, mother would have  _ loved  _ to play around with you in the old days.’

Luke shot Ahsoka a glance and then took a deep breath, calming his nerves. 

‘I warn you not to underestimate our abilities’, he said calmly, using the same tone he used so often with criminals. ‘Or else it will be your doom.’

The masked person laughed again, a cruel, high laugh. 

‘Oh you insignificant little worm, you sure know how to talk big business. But you have no idea what you’re up against. The Jedi must have fallen far to forget the Nightsisters’, the person said. Ahsoka cursed. 

_ ‘Kriff, _ I should have known. Nightsisters. I didn’t think any of you were left.’

‘Nightsisters?’, Luke asked at the same time as the sister let out a deafening howl. 

‘They were these witches living on Dathomir. They used the dark side for their magicks’, Ahsoka explained, brandishing both of her lightsabers. ‘Doesn’t matter. I have enough experience fighting against Ventress.’

‘Ventress? Ventress was a failure. Mother should have  _ never  _ let her return’, the sister said. ‘She led to the extinction of my sisterhood. She was a disgrace.’

Luke’s eyes flicked in between Ahsoka and the sister, trying to gather as much intel as possible, but he found that he was quite confused. 

‘No matter’, the sister said, cackling menacingly. ‘I  _ knew  _ something interesting would happen if I took the force blockers off that little brat. You’ll be  _ so _ much fun to play with.’

‘You put foce blockers on Lyra?’, Luke asked, stepping forwards. 

‘Oh my, you’re both young  _ and  _ dumb. I  _ just said _ I took them off, not put them on. The brat was already here with blockers on before I fooled those useless troopers into thinking I was their superior so I could have some fun.’

Luke clenched his teeth. 

‘You’re not the brains behind this then?’, he asked. 

The sister laughed, her shoulders shaking. 

‘Let me talk very slowly so you can understand me, dimwit’, she said. ‘I only came here about two days ago. I don’t care what the troopers did before me. I just thought I was going to have a bit of fun and maybe get a good fight out of it. But if you are as good at  _ fighting  _ as you are at deducing I’m afraid I was hoping for too much. What a shame.’

‘You don’t know who he is, do you?’, Ahsoka said, and Luke could see a smirk building in the dark of her hood, only illuminated by the white of her lightsabers. 

‘I don’t care who either of you are. You’re only here for my entertainment, after all’, the sister said. 

‘Well, what are you waiting for, then?’, Luke asked, stepping forwards. The sister snarled under her mask and bore down her whip towards Luke. 

Luke sidestepped the attack easily, relying on his instincts and the comforting flow of the force all through his body. He swung his saber at the masked sister, only barely missing as she scrambled to the side in shock. Ahsoka stepped up next to him, swinging her two white sabers with ease, blocking another stroke of the light whip. The sister seemed overwhelmed at first as Ahsoka and Luke attacked her, working together easily. Luke hadn’t thought that they would’ve worked together so well so quickly, but somehow he felt like they were two pieces of a puzzle that just… fit. It felt similar to fighting with Leia, only that Ahsoka was much more experienced than either Leia, or Luke for that matter. 

Ahsoka dealt a flurry of attacks that the sister only barely managed to dodge, but suddenly their opponent seemed to gather her wits about her once more. She started avoiding their strikes much more easily, dancing around the two Jedi attacking her just as they danced around her. Luke, who had been holding back quite a bit, started attacking faster and harder, barely leaving time for the sister to gather herself before he struck the next blow. 

‘What- you’re not- ordinary Jedi’, the sister spat out, her voice strained as she inched back down the hall that was starting to clear of the fog. It looked more like a hallway now than a cavern. 

‘I  _ did  _ warn you’, Luke said calmly, attacking her fiercely. Ahsoka was right next to him, dealing blow after blow. 

The sister swore and started whispering something in a language that Luke didn’t understand, when Ahsoka yelled:

‘Get back, she’s casting something!’

Luke jumped back just in time and he could feel the force hum as he got out of the blast radius of the large explosion that the sister had conjured up. Closing his eyes, he reached out, trying to feel where the sister had gone. 

It was easier this time, since he knew what to expect. When the whip came down from above him, Luke easily blocked it with his saber, forcing the sister to jump back into the shadows once more. 

For a while nothing happened, until suddenly Luke felt an alarm ripple through the force, so he stepped to the side and he could hear an arrow, fired from the witch’s bow, whizz past his ear, hitting the wall behind him with a loud bang, shaking the hallway. 

‘I thought you wanted a good fight’, Ahsoka yelled. ‘I didn’t think that was going to involve hiding in the shadows like a coward!’

Another arrow whizzed past them. A curse, followed by more chanting echoed through the hall. 

‘She’ll try to confuse us’, Luke warned. Ahsoka nodded, closing her eyes. Luke followed her example, disregarding whatever illusions the witch would conjure up and relying only on the force. With a stab of longing he remembered his first lessons with Obi-Wan all those years ago. He couldn’t tell if Obi-Wan was close, but he could still hear his words from only hours ago.  _ Do not be deceived. Do not let the dark side cloud your judgement.  _

With a deep breath, Luke concentrated on the force. He weaved through confusing clusters of his own feelings, releasing his anxiety, his worry for Din and Lyra into the force. He trusted Din. They would be safe. He released his confusion and his anger over Lyra’s imprisonment, focussing only on the moment and on his opponent. He could feel Ahsoka’s comforting presence next to him and he could feel- he could feel the dark presence of the nightsister hovering just a few meters away. 

Without opening his eyes, Luke swung his lightsaber, feeling it connect with something. He heard a howl of pain reverberate through the hall as the nightsister jumped back. Luke knew that he hadn’t injured her mortally, but she was hurt. 

‘How dare you! In the old days you would’ve  _ never  _ stood a chance against the might of our magicks!’, the sister cried. 

‘You underestimate the power of the Jedi’, Ahsoka answered, her voice eerily calm in comparison to the sister’s anger. 

‘No,  _ you  _ overestimate  _ your own _ power!’, the witch screamed. ‘I will make you pay for your insolence!’

The attack came swift and although Luke had his eyes closed, he could sense the whip wrap around one of Ahsoka’s lightsabers, clasping tightly. 

‘I have you now, Jedi worm’, the witch cackled and she immediately started to chant something. Luke didn’t wait to see what she was attempting to do and spun around elegantly, using his momentum to bring down his saber on the sister’s outstretched arm, cutting it off cleanly and stopping whatever it was that she was trying to do to Ahsoka. 

The scream of pain was ear-piercing and the sister jumped back, cursing in a different language. 

‘Ahsoka, are you alright?’, Luke asked, still keeping his eyes closed. 

‘I’m alright’, Ahsoka answered. ‘I was about to let go of the saber anyway.’

‘You insignificant worm!’, the witch screamed. ‘I’ll kill you all for this insolence, who do you think you are?’

Luke turned towards the sound of her voice. 

‘My  _ name  _ is Luke Skywalker. I’m a Jedi Knight and I am here to rescue the child. If you surrender now, you will save your own life’, he said, letting the force course through him, and letting it leak out into his vicinity. 

‘S-skywalker?’, the sister said, suddenly sounding a bit more scared. 

‘Yes. Surrender now and we can negotiate’, Luke continued, bringing his lightsaber down to so the tip was almost touching the ground. The witch was quiet for a second but Luke could feel the anger boil in her gut. 

‘Never!’, she screamed and he could feel as she launched herself towards him, stretching her hand with an arrow in it towards him. 

‘I gave you the opportunity to surrender’, Luke said, disappointed. He raised his saber, reached out his hand, manipulating the force around the witch to slow down her approach and bringing his lightsaber in a clean arc right through her midriff, cutting her in half. 

With a sick  _ thwump, _ the body fell onto the floor in front of his feet in two pieces. Luke kept his eyes closed for a few moments longer, reaching out to see if there were any signs of life left in the witch or in the hallway, but he couldn’t feel anything. 

‘Like Master, like student’, Ahsoka commented as Luke opened his eyes to stare down at the body of the witch. The hallway had cleared up again and only a last bit of green smoke was wafting around the witch, slowly fading into nothingness. 

‘What do you mean?’, Luke asked, looking up from the corpse. 

‘Obi-Wan. He killed… well at least he thought he did back then- but he killed Darth Maul, a Sith Lord just like that when he was still a padawan’, Ahsoka explained. ‘That was before I was born, though. He’d only just picked up… Anakin… with his Master, Qui-Gon.’

Luke was silent for a moment.

‘I- there’s so much about my father that I don’t know… So much about Obi-Wan that I don’t know’, he said finally. 

Ahsoka looked at him sympathetically.

‘It’s a bit hard to talk about- him. Your father- but, if you would like to, I could try?’

Luke felt a surge of… something, a complicated mix of interest and fear and apprehension and excitement. 

‘I- I would be very thankful. I- well, my father was a complicated man… In the end, the dark had not triumphed over the light in him, but still… to me he was mostly a villain in a dark helmet… I would like to know more about him. Obi-Wan has told me a few stories, but you-- as his padawan, I would like to hear your thoughts. If you’re comfortable with that.’

Ahsoka put a warm hand on Luke’s shoulder. There was a soft expression on her face that reminded Luke of someone. He wasn’t sure who… it was somewhat of an impression that he couldn’t put a name to. 

‘I will do my best to tell you about him… all of them. I- I miss him and Obi-Wan and Rex and Cody a-and Padmé. If I can… keep them alive in my memories… I suppose that is worth a shot’, Ahsoka said, her eyes staring into the distance. 

‘Thank you’, Luke whispered. 

‘You’re welcome’, Ashoka answered, looking around the hallway. ‘We should probably set some charges to blow this place up before we head back out.’

Luke nodded. 

‘When Din and I blew up the shipyard we used the  _ restian. _ Maybe we can set a few smaller charges on the metal and the explosion will trigger the entire station to collapse’, he said. 

‘Good thinking’, Ahsoka mumbled and the two Jedi headed back into the room where they’d found Lyra. They worked quickly and quietly, both eager to get out and back to Din and Lyra. Ahsoka stood hunched over the few explosives she’d found on one of the trooper’s belts and attached them to the piles of  _ restian  _ at the end of the assembly line. 

Luke had walked over to the computer, using a data stick that he always carried with him to access the main database of the station, downloading all the intel and the data that he could find, from the troops’ schedules to the layout of the station. 

‘It looks like there aren’t any other rooms or people in this station’, he told Ahsoka. 

‘So we don’t have to check for anyone else before we blow this place’, she answered. 

Luke hummed in agreement. He waited for the data stick to finish loading and then turned around to face Ahsoka who was stepping back from the restian, a remote control in her hand. 

‘Are you ready?’, Luke asked. 

Ahsoka nodded. Then a lopsided smirk appeared on her face. 

‘We’d better get back to your boyfriend, then’, she said. Luke felt himself blush violently. 

‘H-he’s not my- he’s not my boyfriend’, he stammered as the two walked out into the hallway and he threw one last look at the lifeless body of the witch before turning towards the exit. 

‘Not  _ yet’, _ Ahsoka said. ‘I don’t even need to use the force to see how head over heels both of you are for each other.’

‘I-I don’t know what you mean’, Luke mumbled. 

‘Luke. I watched your father pretend to be not married for years. You’re no better at hiding it than he was.’

Luke mumbled something, but even he didn’t know what he was saying. 

‘Listen. I’m sort of your honorary aunt, alright? I can tell that you like him and he’s obviously smitten with you. There’s no issue with any of that.’

Luke stared at his boots as they walked towards the entrance. 

‘I- I guess. I just… it’s… I’ve never had this… before. I don’t know how to proceed. I don’t know how to- well I don’t know how I can be fair to him when I can sense his feelings… especially when he has… well thoughts that.. are somewhat possessive… I can’t give him that. I don’t know if I’m the right person for him’, Luke whispered. 

Ahsoka stopped walking, turning towards Luke and putting a hand on his shoulder again. 

‘I understand your fears. But don’t you think that it’s for  _ Din  _ to decide who he wants and what is right for him?’

Luke stared at her. He understood what she was saying, but a nagging voice inside of him told him not to listen. It was- It seemed like it would be selfish to let Din know that Luke… loved him. That his nightmares had lessened because most of his dreams were about Din, kissing him, hugging him, growing old and raising kids with him. That most of his days were infinitely better just because Din was closeby and his presence was calming unlike anyone else’s. 

‘I’m not saying it’s easy’, Ahsoka continued. ‘Just- think about it.’

Luke nodded a bit dejectedly. 

‘Now, let’s get back. I’m worried about Din and Lyra.’

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks so much for reading, let me know what you thought!!  
> i had so much fun writing luke you guys it's unreal?? i love the boy so much istg... luke stans rise my dudes  
> anyway im aware that the nightsisters are like... supposed to be mostly dead, but like... maybe one of them was off world or sth... i needed a fun villain and i didnt feel like doing another sith bc that's always a whole thing... and i find the nightsisters so fascinating especially because they present a different challenge than let's say the emperor because of the whole magicks shenanigans  
> there will be another chapter from luke's perspective but that will still be a while, the next chapter is going to be right back to din dsfgfgsdg  
> as always if u want to talk to me, my tumblr is @mandalourian


	32. Reunion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Din and a sleeping Lyra wait for Ahsoka and Luke to return.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi yall! i hope you enjoy today's chapter! we're nearing the end of this fic slowly but surely (don't worry I still have about five to ten chapters planned)

Din was worried. He tried his best to quiet his loud mind, tried his best to focus on the young girl sleeping in his arms but he couldn’t help it. He was worried out of his mind because there were sounds coming from the bunker sporadically. 

_ I wish I could sense the force, _ Din thought when one particularly nasty explosion shook the base.  _ Or at least… sense if the people I love are in danger.  _

‘Luke’, Din whispered. It was killing him that he couldn’t go back, couldn’t make sure that Luke was safe. It wasn’t so much that he thought that Luke couldn’t handle himself. Din was perfectly aware of the fact that Luke was one of the most powerful beings in the galaxy and that he could if he wanted to, break Din in half with his left hand. Din mused that he probably ought to be scared instead of intrigued by that fact. 

But nevertheless, Din couldn’t help but worry. Luke could handle himself in a fight, but he knew that there were things in the galaxy that would, that could potentially hurt him. Mentally as well as physically. 

_ I don’t want him to get hurt, _ Din thought.

‘Cuyir morut'yc, cyar'ika’, he whispered into the air, his eyes fixed on the bunker’s entrance. Nothing answered him for a while and Din clenched and unclenched his fingers around his blaster. 

After what felt like ages, he could suddenly hear a new sound over the hooting of birds and the sound of wind brushing through leaves. It was a low hum, coming closer and closer, and since Din was so distracted, he only realised what it was when it was already nearly visible: ships.

Din was drawing back into the shadows instinctively when his comm beeped. 

‘This is New Republic Marshal Dune, reporting for pick- and clean up by the order of Senator Organa’, Cara’s voice came out of the comm. Din felt relief course through him and he sacked back against the tree. 

‘Kriff, Cara, you-- come down here quickly and bring a medic’, he answered. He was so relieved he sighed deeply. 

‘Will do, old friend’, Cara answered and before Din knew it, a New Republic transport landed on the clearing and Cara, followed by a troop of officers and a medical droid walked out. 

Din pushed himself off of the tree, holding the sleeping Lyra close to him as he carefully made his way towards Cara who spotted him quickly. She looked at him with a lopsided smile. 

‘It’s good to see you’, she said when Din had stepped in front of her. 

‘You too. I didn’t know- I wasn’t expecting you to show up’, Din whispered, doing his best not to wake Lyra. 

‘I was in the area… Senator Organa asked me if I would come along. She said you might appreciate it’, Cara said warmly. Din nodded thankfully.

‘Sir, you can put the child down here, we will take her to the medical facility’, the tinny voice of the med droid said. Din shot it a distasteful look under the helmet, but he carefully put Lyra onto the stretcher. She was still fast asleep but as soon as Din made to step away, she grasped his hand tightly. 

‘Looks like this one also doesn’t want to let go of you’, Cara said. ‘Keep the kid here for now. We need to round up these troopers anyway.’

The medical droid nodded and started hovering its strange hands over Lyra’s body, scanning her for her injuries. 

‘Everyone, let’s round up the empire bastards!’, Cara called, giving directions to the troop of New Republic officers. 

Din watched it all happen, standing next to Lyra and holding her hand. The little girl was sleeping fitfully and Din felt his heart clench at the sight. 

‘We should head inside to help’, Cara said. Din turned towards her. 

‘No. Unless you have a Jedi up your sleeve, we’d all be useless in there’, Din answered. 

‘You know I don’t wear sleeves.’

Din snorted. 

‘Good point.’

Cara smirked at him and turned towards the unconscious troopers that were being loaded onto the ship.

Din kept standing next to Lyra, reaching out once to brush her unkempt hair out of her face. He held her hand tightly and stared at the entrance. Apart from the back and forth of the arrests, no one left the bunker. 

‘This shouldn’t take so long’, Din murmured anxiously. 

Cara turned back around towards him and frowned. 

‘Hey, we’ve seen this guy take out an entire squadron of dark troopers like it was nothing. I’m sure he can handle a few stormtroopers’, Cara said.

‘It’s- he’s not fighting stormtroopers. There’s some- dark side user in there, Luke said’, Din answered. Cara narrowed her eyes at him. Din didn’t know what exactly she was looking at. It seemed to be something on his helmet, just above his cheek. 

‘Dark side?’

‘Of the force’, Din explained. 

‘Is that some Jedi Shit that I don’t understand?’

Din huffed in amusement. 

‘Yeah… it’s bad, that’s all you really need to know’, Din answered. 

Cara nodded slowly. Her eyes were still narrowed when suddenly, there was a commotion at the door. Din’s eyes immediately flicked towards the troops gathering around the entrance. He couldn’t see what was happening but strangely enough, he could feel a sense of relief wash over him. As if on cue, Lyra let go of his hand. 

With a last look at Lyra, he walked away, his legs carrying him towards the door quickly. Cara stared after him in confusion. Din didn’t realise. His focus was on one thing only: the two cloaked figures stepping out of the door. 

‘Alright, everyone, get back to work’, Din heard Cara yell and the officers went back to their tasks. Din didn’t care. 

He recognized Luke’s familiar shape quickly. He didn’t know what he was going to do but he strode towards Luke, almost falling into a steady jog. Ahsoka hung back behind Luke and Din could see that she was smiling underneath her cloak. 

Luke walked faster and faster, heading towards him. There were ten, five, three, two, one meters between them and Din thought it was an eternity until Luke threw his arms around Din’s neck, pressing his forehead against Din’s helmet and kriff, Luke was  _ here, _ he was _ safe, he was in his arms.  _

Din’s arms had immediately slipped around Luke’s waist, pulling him so close that their bodies were pressed against each other and Din only then realised that he had been shaking for quite a while now. 

‘Din’, Luke whispered and Din cursed the fact that there were people around, since Luke’s tone made him want to take off his helmet, toss it aside without a single care in the damn galaxy and wrap the other up in a kiss that didn’t end. 

‘Luke’, Din whispered back, his voice thick with unspoken emotions. ‘You’re safe.’

‘I told you’, Luke murmured, one hand cradling Din’s neck, the other slipping forward to run over Din’s helmet, cradling his cheek softly. ‘I promised I would see you again.’

‘I’m just glad it didn’t take months this time’, Din answered. Luke smiled and Din thought that he finally understood why poets spent years writing of love. The long Jedi robe was hiding his expressions to the outside world, so Din felt like they were… safe. Alone. Intimate. 

‘Me too, Din. But I don’t think I’d be able to stay away from you that long’, Luke said, his brilliant blue green eyes boring into Din’s soul. Din didn’t mind. 

‘I don’t think I could either’, Din answered. Luke’s answering smile was intoxicating. Din never wanted to look away. 

‘I’m glad we’re on the same page.’

‘Always.’

Luke chuckled and Din could almost feel Luke’s hand softly caress his face. 

‘Sometimes I wish Jedi could teleport’, Luke mumbled. ‘I’d just… whisk you away back home… we could take a nap…’

‘You wouldn’t,  _ cyar’ika. _ You’re too noble for that’, Din whispered back. Then, he screamed at himself internally for slipping up. 

‘...you know me well, Din Djarin’, Luke said, his face a mix of slight confusion and fondness. 

‘You know me well too, Luke Skywalker’, Din whispered back. Luke chuckled. 

‘It is my honour’, Luke answered. ‘Is Lyra okay?’

‘She is… she had a breakdown when we left… but I promised everything would be okay… we should get back to her’, Din answered. 

Luke hummed in agreement. 

‘I will get back to you on that nap when we have the time’, he said. Din chuckled. 

‘Please do.’

Luke smiled warmly, leaning forwards and pressing a kiss to Din’s helmet again, right above the spot where he’d kissed him just about an hour ago. 

‘I’m glad you’re safe’, Luke mumbled. 

‘You too’, Din said softly, reaching one of the hands that had been resting around Luke’s waist underneath his long cape up to caress Luke’s face for a second. Luke leaned into the touch, closing his eyes before he drew back slightly, a look of intent on his face. 

‘We need to check on Lyra’, he said. Din nodded and the two let go of each other slowly, reluctantly.

When Din had drawn back, he turned to Ahsoka who was standing just behind Luke’s shoulder, watching the arrests take place. 

‘Are you alright?’, Din asked. Ahsoka turned towards him with a smile underneath her long hood. 

‘I am. Are you and Lyra fine?’

Din nodded. 

‘She’s with the medic.’

‘Good’, Ahsoka said, a knowing look on her face. 

‘Let’s check on her’, Luke interjected, putting a hand on Din’s forearm. Din wanted to draw the other into a hug and run away from their responsibilities, but he knew that neither Luke nor Din would rationally want that. 

‘Good to see you’re safe’, Cara said as they approached her and the medic. She shot Din a look that implied that she knew exactly how absolutely smitten he was with the Jedi holding onto his arm and Din didn’t even pretend to be surprised.  _ I guess I’m not exactly subtle, _ he thought.  _ And Cara was always better at reading people than I am.  _

‘This is Marshal Cara Dune’, Din said. ‘Cara, this is Luke Skywalker and Ahsoka Tano.’

Next to him, Luke smiled. 

‘Din has told me a lot about you’, he said. ‘It’s good to meet you, Marshal.’

Cara nodded, raising her eyebrow at the mention of his name.  _ Yeah, she’s definitely gonna ask about that one,  _ Din thought. 

‘Thank you for coming’, Ahsoka said, pushing off her hood and inclining her head. Din could see that Cara was taken aback, which in itself was quite a novel thing. 

‘O-oh. Yes. Well, umm, yes, you’re welcome’, Cara stammered, staring at Ahsoka. Din cocked his head to the side in confusion. He glanced at Luke next to him, who just shrugged and pulled him towards Lyra. Din let himself get dragged along easily as the two women kept talking behind them. 

‘How is she?’, Luke asked the medic.

‘Still sleeping. She’s weak but she will live… once she wakes we will have to transfer her to a bacta tank to heal her hands’, the droid answered. 

Din could feel the tension loosen in Luke’s grip on his arm. 

‘Good. Do whatever you can. We’ll take her back to base immediately, we can help her better there’, Luke answered, brushing his free hand over Lyra’s sleeping face. The girl seemed to relax slightly. 

‘Yes, sir’, the droid said. 

Luke nodded and turned back towards Din with a smile. 

‘Are you ready to go home?’

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks so much for reading, let me know your thoughts!!  
> i've been looking forward to writing cara sm, because holy fuck do i love cara (the character, not the actor. just to make that clear lmao). she's just... great... muscular woman... big wlw vibes... yes.   
> also i know i made the separation v dramatic but i am terrible at prolonged angst and i didnt want to keep my boys apart so... minimal angst. everything is beautiful and nothing hurts.   
> as always, if you would like to talk to me, my tumblr is @mandalourian


	33. Feelings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The gang heads back to the space station with Lyra.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey yall!! i hope you enjoy today's chapter!!

The first half of the trip back to the space station passed in a blur for Din. He was still reeling from the anxiety of leaving Luke in the bunker only to have his fear uprooted as he could finally hold the other in his arms again. The separation had barely been a few hours but it still made Din feel like it had been an eternity. He’d been staring out of the window of the general’s quarters on the Republic cruiser that was taking them back to the station, mulling over his feelings. 

‘Are you with me, Mando?’, Cara asked, ripping Din out of his thoughts. 

‘Huh? Oh. Yes.’

Cara had walked over towards Din who was sitting on a chair next to a panel that indicated they had a few hours left in hyperspace. Meanwhile, Luke and Ahsoka were sitting on a cot next to the sleeping Lyra. Din could see that Luke had taken up his usual meditation pose. It made his heart ache for home. It felt silly to think that just this morning he and Luke had been sharing longing glances and soft touches in his study. So much had happened in a single day. 

‘Are you sure you’re with me?’, Cara continued. 

‘Oh. Yeah. Sorry. Distracted’, Din mumbled. 

‘I can see that.’

Din finally turned to look at Cara. She was smirking. 

‘What?’, he asked. 

‘Oh, you’ve got it bad, old friend’, she said grinning. 

‘I don’t know what you mean-’

‘Din. Seriously. You’ve been staring at him for the past hour. And you guys basically made out back there’, Cara interrupted. 

‘I- we- I was just happy to see that he was  _ safe, _ Cara.’

‘Sure you were, buddy. And I suppose that kiss smudge on your helmet is also just because he’s safe, isn’t it?’, she asked, pointing to Din’s cheek. 

‘...I’, Din started, but he couldn’t think of a proper answer. 

Cara sighed. 

‘I’m happy for you, obviously. I’m just teasing.’

‘Oh- that’s good. Thank you?’, Din answered, unsure of how to react. 

‘Of course. You seem- well honestly, you seem happier than I’ve ever seen you… apart from the whole panic of course’, Cara noted. ‘When did it start?’ 

Din grimaced under the helmet. 

‘Nothing… started. We’re friends. That’s all.’

Cara raised an eyebrow. 

‘Friends. That stare at each other while the other isn’t looking. That do the Mando-equivalent of making out in front of an entire platoon of Republic officers.’

Din cleared his throat. 

‘It- it’s not that… I don’t… have feelings… I just- I can’t tell him. He’s a Jedi. They have rules against this stuff… and I don’t- I don’t want to put him in a position that threatens his faith… He understands me and I in a sense understand his struggle with his religion… I don’t want to jeopardize something that’s already beautiful. And I- I doubt he feels the same.’

Cara inclined her head. 

‘I think that’s the longest I’ve heard you talk about your feelings’, she noted. ‘But I suppose that makes sense. The part about the religion that is. The part about him not liking you back is bantha shit, Mando. He’s kriffing smitten with you. He looks at you like you hung the kriffing stars or some shit.’

‘He- he doesn’t look-’

Cara snorted. 

‘He does. Believe me.’

‘Cara, I don’t be-’

‘Din, for kriff’s sake. I have eyes and you’re as oblivious as it gets.’

Din was quiet.

‘But seriously’, Cara continued. ‘I can see that you’re happy. You hold yourself so different. I won’t pry into anything, but if you want my opinion, I think you ought to tell him. If you don’t, you’ll have to live with the fact that you never tried for the rest of your life.’

Din frowned. He noticed how hurt Cara sounded. 

‘Cara, was there ever- someone? For you?’, he asked her. 

Cara looked at him surprised. 

‘I guess you’re more perceptive than I give you credit for. I had- a girl. On Alderaan. She- I was too much of a coward and… well, she didn’t make it’, Cara said, looking down at where she was fiddling with her blaster. Din felt sympathy for fiddling. Dealing with the horrors of war was always easier when you were holding a weapon. 

‘I’m- I’m sorry’, he said, putting a hand on Cara’s strong shoulder. 

‘Thank you. It was a long time ago… but still. My point is…  _ tell him. _ You don’t have to do it if you don’t feel ready, but… you’ll never know. If you never tell him, you’ll never know if something couldn’t have happened.’ 

Din was quiet for a while. 

‘I’m scared’, he finally confessed. 

Cara smiled slightly, sympathetically. 

‘That only means it’s real’, she said. 

Din hummed. 

‘Since when are you an expert on relationships?’, he asked with a teasing undertone. 

‘Oh, I’m not. I’m just pretending’, Cara said, a lopsided smirk on her face. 

‘Well you’re doing a hell of a job.’

Cara snorted. 

‘It really is good to see you again, Din’, she said, putting a hand on Din’s arm that was still resting on her shoulder. 

‘It really is.’

‘How’s Grogu?’

Din brightened. Talking about his son always did that to him. 

‘He’s doing amazing. Luke says he’s progressing immensely. It’s- Cara, it’s literally the coolest thing I’ve ever seen, he can hover two pebbles towards me now! And he can do these backflips, it’s kriffing fantastic! Luke keeps having to call me to get him down from high places because he manages to climb up there somehow’, Din said, launching into giving Cara a full recount on Grogu’s recent escapades, from the dyed pink hair to the scratch he accidentally gave Din on his hand when Luke and Din had forgotten to cut his nails for a few days too long. 

‘I see Din is in his element’, Luke’s voice came as Din had just finished telling Cara about Grogu’s unsuccessful attempts at stealing food from the kitchen droids.  _ A son after my own heart, _ Din thought. 

‘He is’, Cara answered. ‘He only ever talks this much when it’s about Grogu.’

‘True. It’s adorable’, Luke whispered, sliding a hand over Din’s broad back, resting on Din’s neck and brushing his thumb over the space between the fabric of Din’s shirt and the cover of the helmet. A shiver ran down Din’s spine. 

‘You should see Luke teach the kids’, Din whispered. ‘It’s amazing. They all love him so much.’

Cara seemed to do her best in suppressing a smile. 

‘I’m sure’, she said. 

‘Well, nothing can beat Din braiding Nava’s hair’, Luke said fondly. ‘The kids love you too. A lot.’

Din turned his head to look at Luke and he saw the open fondness on his face and he felt just about ready to melt into a kriffing puddle. 

Cara chuckled and Din turned his head back towards her. The three of them were quiet for a while. 

‘Do you want to sit down?’, Din finally asked, turning back to Luke. ‘You were in a fight.’

Luke smiled at him, his lips stretching enticingly. 

‘You’re sweet, but I’m fine. It wasn’t as dangerous as I initially thought… It was a nightsister, and I’d never met any of their kind before… so I was just unprepared. Ahsoka knew what they were… magick users that employ the dark side. Ahsoka and I were fine. No need to worry about me.’

‘Did Ahsoka- kill her?’, Cara said, with an edge in her voice. Din narrowed his eyes at her. Cara seemed… uncharacteristically interested in Jedi business. 

‘I killed her. But without Ahsoka I would’ve been lost’, Luke explained. 

‘Huh’, Cara mumbled. ‘She- she seems very capable- yes. Very capable.’

Din narrowed his eyes even more as he caught Cara staring at where Ahsoka was sitting next to Lyra, her eyes closed. Suddenly, a thought crossed his mind. He smirked in the privacy of his helmet. 

‘How about you keep Ahsoka company?’, Din asked slyly. ‘I’m sure she’d appreciate that.’

Cara glared at him while Din felt the hand on his neck starting a new, electrifying pattern. He could hear Luke hum in agreement.

‘Din’s right. She seems so lonely over there, don’t you agree, Din?’, Luke asked and Din could hear the smirk in his voice. 

‘Mn, Luke has a point.’

Cara glared at both of them and for the first time in Din’s entire friendship with Cara he could see her cheeks redden.  _ Interesting, _ he thought. 

‘You’re both menaces’, she grumbled, but she made her way over to Ahsoka who opened one eye, smiling warmly and offering a flustered Cara a seat next to her. 

‘Interesting’, Luke mumbled. 

‘My thoughts exactly’, Din whispered. 

‘They do fit together well, don’t you think?’, Luke said, stepping closer to Din and leaning onto the back of his chair. 

‘Weirdly enough, they do.’

Luke chuckled. 

‘Are you sure you don’t want to sit down?’, Din asked again. 

‘Ahh, I’m fine. Besides, the other chairs are all somewhere else and I don’t really feel like leaving you’, Luke answered nonchalantly, disregarding how Din’s entire being buzzed at his admission. 

‘I can get up if-’, Din started, but Luke shook his head. 

‘It’s fine.’

Din inclined his head towards Luke again. Then, a manic part of his brain gave him the courage to do what he’d been wanting to do for quite a while now. He reached out, taking Luke’s free hand and pulling the Jedi in front of him. 

‘Sit. You look tired’, he said. Luke stared at him questioningly. Din nodded to his lap and understanding dawned on Luke’s face alongside a pretty blush. 

‘Well, you do raise a good point’, he said, croaking a bit. But he didn’t move.

‘Luke. I don’t have to be a Jedi to realise how tired you are. You look about ready to fall over. You’ve been having terrible nightmares and you just spent the entire day feeling Lyra’s pain. Rest’, Din insisted, grasping Luke’s hand tightly. 

Luke smiled softly, privately. It looked like the smile he gave Din when they were alone in their room with Grogu, just after Luke woke up in the morning. 

‘Alright’, he whispered and then he crouched down to settle on Din’s lap, curling an arm around Din’s neck, the fingers returning to the small sliver of skin, the other hand staying in Din’s hand. His legs were dangling off of Din’s lap towards the side. 

‘You’re surprisingly comfortable with all that armour’, Luke mumbled. Din chuckled lowly, swivelling the chair and turning the two of them away from Cara, Ahsoka, Lyra and the medical droid who were the only ones left in the room. 

‘I try’, Din answered. 

‘You know, Han would probably call me spoiled’, Luke whispered. 

‘Why’s that?’

Luke chuckled. 

‘Something about you letting me use you as a walking mattress’, Luke explained. ‘A gross misunderstatement of what you mean to me all in all, but then again, Han’s strength has never been tact.’

Din giggled. Luke joined him and for a few seconds the two of them were just laughing quietly. 

‘You- you’re very welcome to use me as a walking mattress’, Din finally said. 

‘Oh my dear, I plan to. But you’re welcome to do the same’, Luke answered. 

‘I’ll get back to you on that’, Din murmured. 

‘Please do’, Luke whispered, finally burying his face in the space he always sook out whenever Din was wearing armour. He curled up on Din’s lap and Din almost forgot that they weren’t in bed with Grogu sleeping in between them. The familiar weight of Luke was pressing down on him and he could feel as the other’s breathing was getting steadier and steadier, indicating that he was drifting off into sleep. 

For the third time that day, Din started humming the song his mother had taught him, letting the music flow through him, letting it lull Luke and himself to sleep. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks so much for reading!! let me know what you thought!  
> i had sm fun writing bffs cara and din because honestly one of the best combinations for a friendship is lesbian and himbo and i will take no criticism. din and cara are mlm/wlw solidarity and i will die on this hill.   
> also wow luke and din are so fucking obvious it hurts dude... you're literally cuddling on a fucking chair... when there's cots across the fucking room... u gay fuckers... just kiss already why dont you (i mean i know why they dont bc im not letting them lmao but i swear there is a reason for that sdfsdfsfd im not just being cruel)   
> as always, feel free to talk to me on tumblr @mandalourian


	34. Choices

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Both Din and Lyra make a choice.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey yall!! i hope you enjoy today's chapter. I've now finally decided on how many chapters we have left. Including this one, there are 5 chapters left. I might add on some bonus chapters if I feel like it but we're slowly getting to the end of this fic!!

Din woke up to someone poking his shoulder. Groaning and thinking that it was probably Grogu who wanted Din to play with him, he opened his eyes blearily. 

Cara was standing over him with a barely masked grin. 

‘We’re nearly there’, she whispered, obviously not wanting to wake Luke who was still sleeping in Din’s arms, who she was glancing at pointedly. ‘Doubt he’s the same, huh?’

Din could hear the teasing undertone as clear as day. If Cara could’ve seen his face, the eyeroll that she would’ve received in return would’ve been epic. Cara chuckled under her breath and walked back to Ahsoka who was watching the entire scene with a sort of serene fondness. Din could’ve sworn that she said something along the lines of  _ ‘exactly like his father and his master’ _ to Cara who only smiled conspiratorially. Unsure what exactly the two women were on about, Din turned to the sleeping Jedi in his arms.

No matter how many times he had seen Luke sleep, the sight still made his heart clench with longing. There  was something incredibly soft and intimate about seeing this man, this wonderful, beautiful enigma of a person, one of the strongest people Din had ever met sleep so soundly in his arms. It felt… well, it felt like one of the greatest honours of his life to have Luke trust him so fully. A Jedi trusting a Mandalorian of all people. Trusting a Mandalorian to hold him tight, to help him through the nightmares and both of their demons that threatened to close in when the world, the galaxy went dark.

_ ‘Mesh'la’, _ Din whispered, without meaning to. And it was true. Luke was absolutely beautiful. His hair was always so kriffing soft, windswept and messy at times, his smile was warm and his lips… his lips were enticing and wonderful and Din could still feel the press of his lips on Din’s cheek. Could still feel how completely untethered the kiss had left him. 

‘Mmmorning’, Luke mumbled, his eyes still closed. Din chuckled breathlessly. 

_ ‘Jate vaar'tur, cyar’ika’, _ Din mumbled back. 

Luke’s eyes slowly blinked open. 

‘Hmm, you’ve said that before… is that Mando’a?’

Din felt himself flush. 

‘Y-yes. It- means good morning’, he stammered. Luke smiled. 

‘Well,  _ jate vaar'tur, cyar’ika _ to you too’, Luke mumbled, burying his face further into Din’s neck again and completely missing how Din’s heart nearly stopped working at hearing the albeit clumsy Mando’a pet name from Luke’s lips. It sounded wonderful in Luke’s Tatooine drawl. 

Din had to collect himself for a few moments. Finally, he took a deep breath and angled his head so he could see Luke out of the visor of his helmet. 

‘We’re almost there’, he whispered. Luke groaned. 

‘That means I have to get up, huh?’

‘I’m afraid so.’

Luke leaned back a bit, frowning at Din with an adorable pout on his face. 

‘Time to be a Jedi and a Mandalorian once more, I guess’, he mumbled. Din snorted. 

‘Seems like it.’

Slowly, Luke drew back, standing up and stretching his limbs with a wince. 

‘Force, I’m too old to sleep in chairs’, he groaned. 

‘What am I supposed to say’, Din teased, getting up and shaking his legs, trying to get some sensation back into them. 

‘In my defense, this was your idea’, Luke quipped. 

‘I’m not complaining. I just know I prefer the bed.’

Luke chuckled. 

‘You and me both. Let’s stop complaining about being old men and go check on Lyra. Otherwise I’m scared Obi-Wan will show up and stare at me with a raised eyebrow and a snippy comment about how he was much older’, Luke said, nodding to Din. 

‘I can imagine’, Din chuckled, and the two of them made their way over to Lyra, who was still fast asleep. 

‘How is she doing?’, Luke asked, worriedly. 

‘Her vitals look good. The bacta tank will cure all her physical injuries’, the medical droid answered. 

‘Disregarding her mental injuries’, Din grumbled. 

‘You’re right’, Luke mumbled, gently placing his hand over Lyra’s forehead. Din watched as Luke closed his eyes. 

Ahsoka and Cara, who were standing close to Lyra’s cot, were quiet alongside Din as they waited for the Jedi Master’s assessment. 

‘She’s severely distressed’, Luke whispered. ‘I- we’ll have to consult the medics at the station. I don’t think this will be solved without therapy of some kind.’

Din hummed. 

‘Makes sense… that’s- well, it’s traumatic’, he answered. Luke nodded and opened his mouth to continue talking when Lyra suddenly jerked and opened her eyes, frantically searching the room. Luke immediately dropped to his knees next to her, pulling his hand back far enough that he wasn’t touching her unless she wanted to be touched. 

‘Hello there, little one’, he said kindly. Lyra jerked back slightly, crowding against the cot’s back. Din could feel Ahsoka and Cara step back and he moved to do the same, giving the kid some space, but Lyra reached out her hand wordlessly.

‘She wants you to hold her hand’, Luke explained softly. Din was stunned and he stepped closer to the child, kneeling next to Luke. Gently, he reached out his hand and waited for Lyra to take it. Her small hand clasped around his fingers, digging into the fabric. 

‘Lyra, would it be okay if Din and I asked you a few questions? You don’t have to answer if you’re not ready’, Luke said, his voice tentative. Din realised he didn’t want to startle the traumatised kid. 

‘Y-yes’, Lyra whispered. 

Luke smiled at her brightly. 

‘Okay. You can stop us at any point.’

Lyra nodded shakily. 

‘Okay, Lyra. How old are you?’

‘E-eleven’, she mumbled. 

‘Alright, thank you so much. Could you tell us your last name?’

‘I-I don’t remember.’

‘That’s okay’, Luke whispered. ‘Do you know what happened to your parents?’

Lyra blinked at him confusedly.

‘I- I don’t have parents. They died when I was little.’

Luke sucked in a sharp breath. 

‘I’m very sorry, Lyra. Is it okay to continue?’

Lyra nodded. 

‘Okay. You’re doing great, little one. Could you tell me how long you were in that place?’, Luke asked, his face worried. 

‘I-I don’t remember… long… some person saw me hover a squirrel out of a tree and p-pretended to be my friend- and b-brought me there’, Lyra whispered, tears streaking down her face. Din carefully pulled out one of the tissues that he’d taken to carrying around when he first found Grogu. 

‘Here’, he said quietly, handing Lyra the tissue. 

‘T-thank you, sir’, she whispered. 

‘I’m very sorry that all of this has happened to you, Lyra’, Luke whispered and she turned her attention back on him. ‘I have an offer for you, but I want you to think about it carefully, okay?’

Lyra nodded. Luke smiled at her. 

‘Okay. Lyra, you’ve noticed that you have… certain powers. You can feel the force and you can use it’, Luke explained. ‘The force is a power that flows through every living thing in this galaxy. You have abilities that mean you can manipulate the force if you learn how to.’

The young girl stared at Luke with wide eyes. 

‘How?’

Luke hummed. 

‘With training. I’m a Jedi Knight. Jedi are ancient peacekeepers in the galaxy. We defend those who cannot defend themselves and we keep the peace to the best of our abilities. The Jedi have a special sensitivity to the force and through training we can learn how to fight using the force and how to protect the innocent. If you would wish to, I could teach you to understand the force. I- We- I and five other students can give you a home. You can learn how to wield the force and you can live among kids that are around your age and I promise you that I will give my life to protect you. But that would also mean letting go of your old life and any friends you might have had before. If you would like, we can bring you back to your home planet’, Luke said, finishing off with an earnest look. 

‘I-’, Lyra started, but Luke held up his hand. 

‘Take your time with your decision. We’re nearly at the station and there we’ll put you into a bacta tank have you fully healed. After you’ve slept that off, you can tell me your decision, alright?’

Lyra continued staring at Luke for a while, until finally nodding. 

‘Will you stay with me?’, she asked, her voice shaky. She was looking between Luke and Din. 

‘Of course’, Din said. Luke nodded. 

‘For as long as you wish’, Luke added. 

‘T-thank you’, Lyra whispered. 

Putting Lyra into the bacta tank was easier than Din had expected. The young girl was still extremely exhausted so she’d fallen asleep very quickly when the medical droid had given her the soporific. 

‘Do you think she’ll choose to come along?’, Din asked as Luke and he watched Lyra float in the bacta tank. 

‘I don’t know. I hope so, but I won’t take that decision away from her’, Luke mused. 

Din hummed. They were quiet for a while. 

‘Luke- I wanted to talk to you about something’, he finally started. Luke turned his face towards him. 

‘Is everything alright?’, Luke asked. 

‘Yes- it’s not that, it’s just… well, I was thinking about the future… have been for a while now’, Din said, unsure how to continue. Luke sucked in a breath, a painful shadow crossing his face. 

‘If- Din, if you would like to leave… I understand. I- I will miss you terribly, but I don’t want to keep you from living your life. I understand.’

Din frowned. 

‘What? No, Luke, of course I don’t want to leave, you  _ di'kut.’ _

‘...you don’t?’

Din laughed. 

‘No, I don’t. Luke, I’ve never had much of a future. I’m a kriffing bounty hunter. I was going to die at some point on a job. That was the plan.’

Luke frowned. 

‘That only changed with Grogu’, Din continued. ‘For the first time- for the first time I had someone to care for. I wanted to stay alive for  _ him, _ wanted to… raise him. And that hasn’t changed.’

‘You’re a noble man, Din Djarin’, Luke said softly.

‘I’m really not. I just- I- My point is that ever since Grogu I had… a future. But I never really knew what I was supposed to do apart from raising him… until you came along that is’, Din answered. ‘You’re… you’re doing so much for these kids and honestly it… well, I like helping you. So if- if you would be okay with it… and I completely understand if you’re not, I’m not a Jedi after all…’

Luke stepped in front of Din, putting a warm hand on Din’s arm. 

‘Tell me’, he whispered.

Din swallowed his nerves and stared into Luke’s bright eyes. 

‘If you want me too… I would like to stay with you… permanently… I want to help you take care of all of the kids. I want to help you find kids like Lyra who need our help. I want to- well, I think there’s some tactical information and stuff I can teach the kids as well… or at least I can teach them how to take care of kids… If you want me to’, Din said, keeping resolute eye contact through the visor of his helmet. Luke’s face had cleared while he was talking and a bright smile had taken over. 

‘I- Din- That-’, Luke started, grinning and taking a deep breath and seemingly collecting himself. ‘I would love for you to stay. The children… they love you so much… and I- I would… I would be very happy if you were to stay with me- I mean us. Officially.’

Din’s heart skipped a beat and without a second thought, he pulled Luke in a tight hug. 

‘Thank you’, he whispered as Luke wrapped his arms around him. 

‘Thank  _ you, _ Din. I- this is the best news I’ve heard in- weeks. Months, maybe’, Luke answered. ‘I can’t wait to tell the kids that they’ll have strategy with Mr. The Mandalorian.’

Din felt a giggle rise up in his throat. He didn’t do anything to stop it. 

‘I think they can just call me Mr. Djarin at this point.’

‘Mr. Djarin it is, then’, Luke whispered, drawing back and smiling at Din. He could see Luke’s gaze flick to the other people in the room, Leia who was monitoring the bacta tank with Ahsoka and Cara by her side, the medical droids and the staff. Din got the impression that Luke wished they were alone as much as Din did. 

‘We’ll go over the details when we’re back home’, Luke said, stepping back, a resolute smile on his face. 

‘Sounds good… oh, but… well, Bo-Katan might turn up at some point to fight me for the saber’, Din mumbled. 

Luke grimaced. 

‘Well, whenever that happens and whatever you choose to do, I’ll be there.’

Din smiled, putting a hand on Luke’s neck. 

‘Thank you… I’m not entirely sure yet- but I’ll probably throw the fight. I have no interest in being the Mand’alor’, Din said, finally voicing what he’d known deep inside for quite some time now. 

‘Then I’ll support you in that as well’, Luke said. Din opened his mouth to continue, but he was interrupted by Leia who was calling the two of them over to the bacta tank. 

Lyra was sitting on a stretcher, dressed in comfortable Republic reds, staring at her healed hands. There were scars, but the redness of the wounds was all but gone. 

‘How are you feeling?’, Leia asked sweetly. 

‘I- I feel clean’, Lyra mumbled. 

‘That’s good’, Luke said. Din was almost certain that Luke was holding himself back from asking whether Lyra had made her decision yet. 

‘I- I made my decision’, Lyra said as if on cue. 

Luke’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. 

‘Are you sure? Don’t feel rushed-’

‘No, I’m sure… I want to come with you. I didn’t really… have a life… I didn’t have a home’, Lyra started. ‘And- I would like to understand-- all this.’

Luke smiled at her. 

‘If you are sure, then I will do my best to teach you- we’ll take you to your new home as soon as you’re ready’, he said. ‘The other kids will be delighted to meet you.’

Lyra stared at Din and Luke with wide eyes and Din could swear that there was a small smile building on her face. 

‘Is she cleared?’, Din asked one of the medical officers nearby. 

‘Yes. But I do have a recommendation for therapy sessions with me. I’ll transfer them to your datapad, Master Skywalker’, the officer said, nodding at Luke. 

‘Thank you’, Luke said gratefully. ‘We can integrate her into the sessions the other kids have via hologram.’ 

‘Very good, sir’, the officer answered. 

‘I’ll get Lyra ready’, Leia said, holding out her hand for Lyra to take. ‘I should still have some old clothes that might fit her.’

Luke nodded at his sister in thanks. Leia and Lyra left the room and Din and Luke finally turned around to Ahsoka and Cara. 

‘Thank you both’, Luke said. ‘I- Lyra would probably be dead without your help.’

Ahsoka nodded serenely. 

‘You’re welcome, Luke’, she said. 

Cara just nodded. 

The four of them were silent for while, until Luke cleared his throat and Din could see the other straightening his back

‘Ahsoka, I know this is a lot to ask, but… would you be interested in coming to the Jedi temple?’, Luke asked. ‘It doesn’t have to be now… but I would… I would appreciate your insight.’

Ahsoka inclined her head to the side. 

‘Cara offered to take me back to my ship on Phindar… but I might… come along after a while. I have a bit of soul searching to do before I could… step into a Jedi temple again’, she said. 

Luke let out a shaky breath. 

‘If- if you do feel up to it… here are the coordinates. You’re welcome anytime’, he whispered, stepping forwards and handing over a folded piece of paper. 

‘Thank you’, Ahsoka answered, inclining her head. ‘I suppose this is goodbye for now… Skyguy.’

Din could see complicated emotions pass over Ahsoka’s face at the nickname. 

‘For now, yes’, Luke answered. ‘May the force be with you. I hope that we will see each other again.’

Ahsoka smiled. 

‘So do I, Master Skywalker. I did promise to tell you a few stories, don’t think I forgot that. May the force be with you.’

Cara turned to Din and stretched out her arm. Din grasped her hand tightly, nodding at her. 

‘Until we meet again, old friend’, she said. 

‘Until we meet again.’

Ahsoka turned her gaze to Din, inclining her head. Din nodded towards her as well. 

‘Take care, Din’, she said, a warm smile on her face. 

‘You too.’

With a nod to Luke, Cara turned around, walking down the hall. Ahsoka smiled at the two of them one last time and turned around as well, following Cara. 

Din and Luke were quiet for a long time, ignoring the medical officers shuffling around them. 

‘I hope we’ll see them again’, Din finally said. 

‘I think we might’, Luke answered, a far-off look in his eyes. ‘This doesn’t feel like a final goodbye.’

Din hummed and they were both distracted by the sound of a door opening and Leia and Lyra walking back into the room. Lyra was wearing a dark brown tunic over black pants, a utility belt keeping the slightly large tunic from looking like a sack. Her long red hair had been put up into two buns on her head and she smiled tentatively up at Leia, who was looking down at her fondly. 

‘I’m ready’, Lyra said as soon as the two came to a stop in front of Luke and Din. Luke grinned. 

‘Well then, I suppose we should make our way home.’

Leia nodded. 

‘Your shuttle is ready and I’ve taken the liberty to stock it up with supplies’, she said with a smirk. 

‘What would I do without you, sis?’, Luke sighed gratefully. 

‘Crash and burn’, Leia answered, her smirk widening. 

‘Probably’, Luke admitted. ‘Thank you, Leia.’

‘You’re welcome, Luke. Now, get going. I have to head back to Coruscant for a Senate briefing and I’m sure your kids already miss you both.’

‘Thank you, Senator’, Din added. 

‘Do call me Leia, Din. But you’re welcome.’

Din smiled under his helmet. 

‘Thank you, Leia’, he said. Leia nodded at him with a warm smile that looked very similar to Luke’s. 

‘Go. May the force be with you’, she said. Then, she knelt down next to Lyra and put a careful hand on her shoulder. 

‘You’re in good hands, Lyra. I wish you all the best and I’m sure I’ll see you soon. May the force be with you’, Leia whispered, softly squeezing Lyra’s shoulder. 

‘T-thank you’, Lyra mumbled. 

‘Goodbye, sis’, Luke said as Leia stood back up. ‘May the force be with you.’

‘Goodbye, Leia’, Din added. Leia smiled at the two of them and ushered them out of the med bay. 

Luke turned to Din and Lyra. 

‘Let’s go home, then.’

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks so much for reading! let me know your thoughts!!  
> i know many of you are waiting for them to finally kiss and... i promise it'll happen soon. there are just a few plot threads left to tie up and some soul searching to do for both of them to be in a mindset where i think it makes sense. but the slowburn will come to an end soon....ish  
> anyway i decided to add in therapy because good lord all of these kids need therapy... so now space therapy exists because i say so. maybe luke and din should think about that too.... possibly....  
> di'kut = idiot  
> as always, feel free to talk to me on tumblr @mandalourian


	35. A Permanent Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Din, Lyra and Luke come home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey yall!! i hope you enjoy today's chapter! forgive me for any spelling errors it's like half past midnight and i am very tired and this is a long boi sdfsdfsf

The trip home passed in a blur for Din. Both Luke and he couldn’t really talk too much since Lyra was sitting between the two of them, staring out of the window, her eyes glistening in fascination with the stars flitting past her. She seemed absolutely mesmerized and Din didn’t want to interrupt her experiencing her first proper pilot seat flight. 

‘Is it always this shiny?’, Lyra asked after a while, completely in awe. 

‘I suppose it is’, Luke answered. 

‘How can you ever look away?’

Luke hummed thoughtfully. 

‘It’s hard. You can look as long as you would like to’, he assured her. 

‘Flying is… amazing’, Lyra mumbled. 

‘Luke- I mean, I suppose you should call him Master Skywalker, he’s great at flying. I’m sure there’ll be time to teach you how to fly’, Din said, fondly. Luke threw him a warm glance. 

‘Would you really teach me how to fly?’, Lyra asked, turning away from the stars for the first time in hours. Din saw that she was actually smiling and it made something in his chest warm up. 

_Maybe this is really what I’m supposed to be doing,_ he thought. _It sure as hell is kriffing nice to see the kid smile._ Whatever the case, Din felt like he was doing something right at least. 

‘Of course. Maybe Mr. Djarin over there could also be your instructor’, Luke said, grinning at Din widely. A shudder ran down Din’s spine at Luke acknowledging their agreement. It seemed almost too good to be true… he’d have… a home. A family. Permanently. 

‘Really?’, Lyra asked, with bright, amazed eyes. 

‘Sure, kid’, Din mumbled. 

Lyra grinned widely. Din was glad to see her so excited… it gave him hope that Lyra could… well, that she could be happy. She’d surely have to deal with her experiences for the rest of her life, but nevertheless… if she had a good home and if she had help… she wouldn’t grow up with quite as many problems as Din. 

After a few hours, they finally dropped out of hyperspace, much to Lyra’s disappointment. But when Luke pointed at the large gas planet and the adjacent moon of Yavin IV, she quickly forgot about her disappointment. 

‘Are moons always green?’, she asked. 

‘Not always. Some of them are just barren wastelands without atmosphere… some of them are icy and some, like this one have a jungle on them’, Luke explained. 

‘I’ve never been to a moon!’, Lyra exclaimed. 

‘Well, kid, you’re in luck. You’re about to live on one’, Din added. Lyra giggled excitedly. 

Luke hummed warmly, setting the ship down on the sandy floor. Lyra jumped up and ran towards the exit. Luke shot Din a smile as they followed the excited girl towards the exit. 

‘I’m glad you’re here with me’, Luke whispered. 

‘I’m glad to be with you’, Din answered, reaching out a hand to squeeze Luke’s quickly.

The walk back to the temple went over surprisingly quickly. Luke walked in the front, quiet because he was concentrating on whether there were any oversized worms headed their way. Din walked behind him, holding onto Lyra’s hand. She stared at every tree with fascination. 

‘What’s that?’, she asked, pointing at a fern. 

‘A… plant’, Din answered, matching her enthusiasm but lacking any real knowledge of botany. 

‘And that?’ 

‘Another plant.’

‘And this?’

‘That’s a tree.’

‘What’s the difference?’

Din was quiet for a moment. 

‘You know, I’m not sure… one of them is taller? I think trees are also plants… trees are just special plants.’

Lyra smiled at him. 

‘So you’re a human tree and I’m a plant?’, she asked, her eyes wide. 

‘I- I guess so?’

‘I’ve never been a plant before’, Lyra mused. ‘Do I have to do anything special to be one?’

Din couldn’t help but chuckled fondly. A few months ago he would’ve been completely out of his depth but he’d spent enough time with Grogu and the other kids, specifically Nava to be used to these types of shenanigans. 

‘I think you’re already doing great, kid’, he answered. ‘But if you want to feel like a tree I can carry you on my back again.’

Lyra’s eyes lit up. 

‘Really?’, she asked, her voice sounding unbelieving. 

‘Of course’, Din said, quickly kneeling so Lyra could climb onto his back again. 

He carried Lyra the rest of the way, listening to her talk about all the things she could see, glancing at Luke’s back from time to time. The Jedi seemed to be chuckling sporadically if his shaking shoulders and the stifled giggles were any indicator. 

‘Here we are, then’, Luke finally said, standing in front of the hidden entrance to the tunnels leading into the temple. Din kneeled down and Lyra got off of his back, staring at the two adults with a mixture of fear and amazement in her eyes. 

‘Are you ready?’, Luke asked warmly. ‘If not, we can rest for a bit out here. There’s no rush.’

Lyra stared into the darkness of the corridors. 

‘I-I’m ready’, she whispered. 

‘Alright. Do you want to hold my hand while we go in?’, Luke asked. Lyra nodded frantically. 

‘C-can I hold your hand too, Mr. Djarin, sir?’, she asked. 

‘Sure thing, kid’, Din said, a warm feeling of protectiveness washing over him. 

He caught Luke’s gaze and he could see that the other was looking at him with such extreme fondness in his eyes that Din nearly melted on the spot. 

_Maybe… maybe I should talk to him…,_ Din mused. _Maybe I should tell him._

Then, a different part of his brain woke up, like it always did when he had thoughts along those lines. 

_No. You’d ruin your friendship. You’d put him in an impossible position that would jeopardize his faith. What you have is good. Don’t kriff it up like you usually do._

With a quiet sigh, Din turned away from Luke and the two of them led Lyra into the tunnels. 

When Din stepped out of the maze of corridors he could hear the sound of water pattering and the quiet squeals of kids who were obviously playing in the pond. His heart swelled at the familiarity of it all. He had a home. A real, true home. Right here with Grogu and Luke and Tionne and Nava and Nil and Gaeton and Lyra. Even with the blasted kitchen droids and Luke’s blue trash can astromech. It was… an indescribable feeling of… belonging. Safety. Stability. Things he never thought he would ever achieve but that he’d craved, without knowing he did for so long. 

_‘Ni'm yaim’,_ he whispered underneath his breath. Luke seemed to hear him mumbling since he turned his head towards him, but he was interrupted by a small brabble that was Din’s favourite sound in the entire world. 

Grogu. 

Din’s son had appeared as the first of the children, making his way towards Din with tiny, fast steps. 

‘Buiiiii’, Grogu babbled as he ran towards Din. Din’s heart nearly stopped. 

‘Did you just-’, he started, feeling tears well up in his eyes. ‘Did you just say _buir?’_

Grogu, who’d reached his legs by now was staring up at him confusedly. He was cocking his head. Kneeling down and trying his best to stop himself from crying, Din kneeled and scooped up Grogu with his free hand. 

‘C-can you say- _buir?’,_ he asked again, feeling a tear slide down his face. 

‘Buiiii’, Grogu answered. 

_‘Buir’,_ Din whispered. 

‘Buiiiiir.’

Din let out a soft sob. 

_‘Ner ad’ika’,_ Din whispered. 

‘Buiiiirgsdf’, Grogu garbled happily, his little hands wrapping around Din’s helmet. 

‘Does that mean what I think it means?’, Luke asked silently. 

Din nodded, staring at his son. 

‘Means father’, he whispered. He could hear Luke’s sharp intake of breath and out of the corner of his eyes, he could see the fond smile on the Jedi’s face. 

‘Alright, Lyra, let me introduce you to everyone’, Luke said, ushering the girl away so Din could collect himself. Din was grateful. 

‘Hey kid’, he whispered to Grogu. ‘How are you? What did you do while I was gone?’

‘Buiiiir.’

‘Yes, that’s me. But what did Grogu do?’

Grogu stared at him thoughtfully. 

‘Barrgfbbklblb’, Grogu said earnestly. 

‘Oh, you did?’, Din asked. 

Grogu nodded excitedly and then he wiggled around in Din’s hands, so he let his son down. The toddler grabbed onto his hand and started walking towards the pond where Luke had gathered the other kids, introducing Lyra to them. Grogu pulled Din, who had to walk in a crouch towards a soft patch of earth next to the pond. 

At first, Din was unsure what exactly Grogu wanted to show Din, but then he could see that someone had taken a stick and drawn… something into the mud. 

‘Buiiiiirblb’, Grogu said pointing at a shape that vaguely resembled… a bucket? Din inclined his head slightly when he suddenly recognized the vague shape of his helmet. He could see where Grogu had drawn his visor. Next to Din’s face was a small circle with two long triangles protruding from it to either side. The circle had a simple smile painted on it. 

‘Is- is that us?’, Din asked, holding his breath. ‘You and me, kid?’

Grogu pulled his hand further towards some mud that he hadn’t yet inspected. There was another circle, this one with another bright smile and something that looked like a bucket half over its head. Din stared at it for a while until he realised that he was staring at Grogu’s rendition of Luke. He stifled a giggle. There were several smaller circles surrounding Luke. Four of them to be exact. Din didn’t have to think too hard to understand who they represented. 

‘It’s all of us, isn’t it, Grogu?’, he whispered. ‘That’s beautiful, kid. You did great.’

Grogu garbled happily. 

‘Din?’, Luke called from where he was standing with Lyra and the other kids. 

Din looked up from his son’s art and nodded. 

‘You wanna head to the others, kid? You should show Lu- I mean Master Skywalker your drawing too, I’m sure he’d love it.’

Grogu blinked at him and hummed, which Din took as agreement. He picked up his son and walked to Luke who was waiting with the kids standing around his waist and whispering and giggling. Lyra was still holding Luke’s hand, but she was quietly talking to Tionne who seemed delighted to have someone her age around. 

‘Lyra, you haven’t met Grogu yet’, Luke said. ‘This is Mr. Djarin’s son. His name is Grogu.’

Lyra turned to Grogu, who was looking at her curiously from his place perched on Din’s arms. 

‘H-hi Grogu’, Lyra whispered. 

Grogu stared at her. 

‘He says hi back’, Luke translated. ‘Grogu can’t quite talk yet, but he’s communicating through the force. You’ll learn how to understand him in time.’

 _‘Cool’,_ Lyra whispered. 

‘Alright, everyone. I’ll give Lyra the grand tour of the temple and you’re all welcome to join. We’ll have the traditional bonfire and dance tonight to welcome her and make her feel at home. I expect all of you to take a bath before that happens, alright?’, Luke said, putting on a stern face. 

‘Yes, Master Skywalker’, the kids answered. They seemed very excited about the bonfire. 

Luke turned to Din. 

‘If you’d like to rest I can wake you up when everything is ready’, Luke said warmly. 

‘I’m not tired’, Din lied. 

Luke raised an eyebrow at him. 

‘Din, I can feel the exhaustion coming off of you in waves. That chair couldn’t have been very comfortable. Get some rest. I’ll wake you up when everything is done and it’s time for Grogu’s bath.’

Din frowned. Something in the back of his mind was unsettled but he couldn’t quite put his finger on it. 

‘Alright’, he said absentmindedly. ‘Grogu do you want to stay with the others or do you need a nap?’

Grogu snuggled closer into his arms. 

‘I think that’s a clear answer’, Luke chuckled. ‘I’ll see you later. Get some sleep.’

Din nodded, his mind still trying to figure out what seemed weird about the entire interaction. 

‘Sure. See you kids later! Be nice to Lyra, alright? She’s very cool. And she knows how to be a tree’, Din said, turning to the kids. Nava suddenly seemed to regard Lyra in a completely different light, guessing by the obvious glee on their face. 

Din chuckled and turned towards the direction of Luke’s study. 

It took him quite a while to figure out what exactly was nagging him in the back of his mind. He’d already taken off his armour and helmet, locking the door so only Luke could come in. He’d just put Grogu to sleep next to him and settled down when something clicked and he sat up bolt right in the bed. 

‘Dank farrik, he’s been reading my feelings this entire time?’, he gasped. 

‘It took you this long to figure that out?’, a voice came from over at the bookshelf. 

Din would like to have said that he didn’t scream. But that would’ve been a lie. 

‘Relax, it’s just me’, Obi-Wan Kenobi said, resolutely staring at the wall. ‘Tell me if I can turn around.’

‘-what?’

‘Your helmet. I’m _technically_ not a living person, but still. It’s your code after all’, Obi-Wan explained, interestedly checking out a few of the books on Luke’s shelves. 

‘Adranax. The boy has taste’, he muttered. 

Din scrambled to put on his helmet. 

‘You can… turn around’, he mumbled. ‘What’s Adranax?’

Obi-Wan turned around, a smile on his face. 

‘Adranax is a poet. A very good one, at that.’

‘Huh’, Din said, unsure of what to make of the force ghost in his room. ‘Why are you here?’

Obi-Wan frowned. 

‘I thought that was obvious.’

‘Not really?’

The Jedi Master chuckled, brushing some imaginary dust off of his beige robes. 

‘I’m here because you’ve finally figured out that Luke can sense emotions. I’m also here because you two are frustratingly oblivious and if I didn’t come I’m pretty sure Anakin would’ve burst in while the two of you were sleeping screaming ‘Just kiss him’ or something as tactless like that’, Obi-Wan said, a fond smile on his face. 

‘I- what?’

Din stared at the ghost in front of him. 

‘Alright, listen. You’ve realised that Luke can sense at least the basics of your emotions.’

‘Yes, and that’s terrible’, Din said, a tremble in his voice.

‘Why?’

Din blinked at Obi-Wan. 

‘Be-because he knows that I’ve been… thinking inappropriate thoughts while he’s… trusting me? Sleeping in my arms?’

It was Obi-Wan’s turn to stare at him blankly. 

‘Do you really think Luke Skywalker would voluntarily remain in a situation that he feels uncomfortable in?’, he asked. ‘He had so many opportunities to deny you. But he didn’t. He even _initiated_ things between the two of you. Doesn’t that tell you a little bit about how he feels?’

‘I-I guess so… but that still doesn’t take away from the fact that this… goes against his faith. His code. I can’t- I don’t want to put him in an impossible situation where he has to choose… or change his faith because of me.’

Obi-Wan nodded thoughtfully. 

‘That is very noble of you… but also a misinterpretation of the Jedi Code. I don’t blame you for it, Luke himself is still weaving through what exactly the infamous no attachment rule means, but… it doesn’t mean that he isn’t allowed to love anyone. It also doesn’t mean that he isn’t allowed to date or marry someone. There are certain things he can’t do… but those are about putting one person before the safety of the innocent. The Jedi code, at least in its purest and oldest form forbids unhealthy attachments that skew the priorities of a powerful force-sensitive person.’

Din nodded tentatively. 

‘Luke explained it to me before, but… I- I thought- I didn’t know what he meant exactly.’

‘If he chooses to be with you, and I think the possibility of him doing just that is very high, he can’t ever be wholly yours because possessiveness and being possessed is not the Jedi way. Part of him will always have to remain committed to the force and to protecting the innocent. But that doesn’t mean he can’t… choose to be with you.’

Din stared at the Jedi. 

‘So, if I- if I tell him… he won’t have to… change his faith?’, he asked, trying his best to squash the tendrils of hope clambering up his heart. 

‘Not unless he chooses to change his faith. And even if he did… sometimes sticking with old, traditional norms isn’t… completely correct. If I had realised sooner that the attachment rule wasn’t meant quite so literal I could’ve… prevented a lot of things. I could’ve also been with… people, who I stopped myself from loving since I didn’t understand’, Obi-Wan explained. ‘Reexamining your faith and understanding what’s right for you and what is outdated or inapplicable to your situation isn’t a bad thing, Din.’

Din stared at the Jedi for a few moments. He opened his mouth to say something but he found that he couldn’t form words. 

‘Din, take it from me. Tell him. You’ll regret it if you don’t’, Obi-Wan whispered. Din could tell that there was… something that the old master was remembering. _Maybe it’s the Mandalorian Duchess… or that Cody person,_ he mused. 

‘I- I want to… tell him, that is. I’m just scared that I’ll…’

‘Ruin it?’

Din nodded. 

‘That fear won’t leave you, I’m afraid. But would you not rather know if you could live happily with him? It’s a bit of a leap of faith, but I do believe that you’re brave enough to do it’, Obi-Wan said kindly. ‘I mentioned Adranax before, didn’t I? Well, he wrote a poem that is quite beautiful in its entirety but part of it is applicable here:

> “Why mourn for tomorrow in tears today
> 
> When current fleeting hours not long shall stay?
> 
> Come stroll with me, we shall find your lost peace
> 
> In an old friend's arms and a gentle kiss.”

Don’t worry so much about the future that you forget the present. If you’re consumed by your fear of the future your present will most certainly be bleak. Tell him.’

Din stared at him and finally, he nodded. 

‘You- you really do show up with advice whenever someone really needs you’, Din murmured. 

‘Always happy to help. I do expect an invitation to the wedding, however’, the Jedi said, a smirk building on his face. 

‘S-sure’, Din stuttered. Then, finally, he remembered that Grogu was still sleeping next to him. Or he had been at least, until Din’s movement had startled him and now he was climbing up onto Din’s lap, blearily staring at Obi-Wan. 

‘Hello there, little one’, Obi-Wan said, his smirk fading into a soft smile. ‘I’m glad to see you again.’

Grogu stared at Obi-Wan for a while and then a small smile spread over his face. He pointed at Obi-Wan and giggled. 

‘You know him?’, Din asked, intrigued. 

‘Yes. I’d only seen him in the creche a few times, but I remember him’, Obi-Wan said kindly. ‘In the old Jedi Temple he stayed in a creche with a lot of the other kids… before everything.’

‘Oh.’

Obi-Wan smiled, a tad mournfully. 

‘Yes. I’m glad to see you well and cared for, little one’, he said to Grogu who just stared at him with intent. Din knew by now that that meant he was communicating with the force. 

‘Yes, I agree. Your father and Luke do seem to make each other very happy’, Obi-Wan answered, grinning. ‘If you won’t take it from me, maybe you’ll take it from your son.’

‘Wha-’

‘Grogu agrees with me, that’s the point here’, Obi-Wan chuckled. 

Grogu looked up at Din with wide black eyes. 

‘You do, huh kid?’

Grogu only blinked at him blankly. 

‘Whatever you decide, may the force be with you’, Obi-Wan said, turning back to Din. ‘I have faith that you will figure this out.’

‘Thank you’, Din whispered as the force ghost faded into nothing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ‘Ni'm yaim’ = I'm home  
> Buir = father  
> Ner ad'ika = my son/my little one
> 
> thanks so much for reading!! let me know what you thought!!  
> i had to be a little nerd and add in some poetry yall... i just love poetry and i know my mans obi-wan also loves poetry, so it was a natural choice.  
> but would u look at that?? din... coming to a resolution?? we love to see it!!! i hope i portrayed it in a way so his hestiance makes sense because im really not doing this just for the sake of doing a slow burn, like... he's genuinely dealing with a lot and doesn't really know how to go about it so there were some realisations he had to make before he could get to this point  
> anyways, im currently holding myself back like wild fucking horse that sees a bunch of carrots just chillin on a field from starting a codywan fanfic bc i want to finish this before, but god it's hard... i'll probably put my star wars fics into a series once i get to the second one if yall want to keep updated with my star wars writing  
> as always, feel free to talk to me on tumblr @mandalourian


	36. Luke Pt. 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Luke gets some advice.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sup yall!! i hope you enjoy this chapter!!  
> so as a quick road map for the coming chapters: this is the last chapter from Luke's pov and the next chapter will be the grand finale and then i'll add an epilogue. if inspiration strikes me and you guys are interested i might add other bonus chapters (dinluke or other story lines) but that's the main plot wrapped up for now  
> since i really want to make sure that the finale is good and long, i most likely won't post it tomorrow. i want to make it deserving of a fucking 75k buildup so it might take longer than the usual three hours at the end of the day, so i'll see you with the finale on sunday.

_ ‘Don’t you think that it’s for Din to decide who he wants and what is right for him?’ _

Ahsoka’s words had been nagging at the back of Luke’s mind for a while now. He tried to ignore them to the best of his abilities while he was leading Lyra and the other kids through the temple, but when he’d finally shooed them off into their respective rooms, Luke couldn’t stop his thoughts from running at a 100 miles an hour. 

He grumbled under his breath and decided not to head back to his room. He could sense that Din was in some form of emotional turmoil and that he was thinking… hard. Luke didn’t want to interrupt whatever it was that Din had realised. He had a sneaking suspicion that it had something to do with his comment about exhaustion, but he didn’t pry too deep into Din’s feelings. He didn’t want to. It already felt like an invasion of privacy to be privy just to the surface of Din’s feelings.

So, instead of heading back to his room and to his tempting bed that was full with a Mandalorian that he would love to wrap in a hug, Luke headed to the training grounds he’d cleared for Din and himself. 

_ I’ll do a couple of drills and then meditate a bit,  _ he thought to himself. He always felt most like himself when he was holding his lightsaber. It didn’t even have to be turned on… just feeling the extension of his soul, the soft hum of the kyber crystal was extremely comforting. Like a friend’s hand on his shoulder assuring him that he wasn’t alone.

Taking a deep breath, he stepped into the room, taking off his long robe and folding it neatly on a stone. He went through the familiar motions of the most basic lightsaber drills that Master Yoda had taught him on Dagobah years ago. He just began mentally running through his albeit limited knowledge of the seven lightsaber combat forms when he felt a familiar presence leaning against one of the pillars. With a smile on his face, he finished his drills. 

‘Your skills are steadily improving, my dear’, he heard Obi-Wan say. 

‘Thank you, Master’, Luke said fondly, keeping his eyes closed. 

‘Of course they are. He’s my son after all.’

Luke whirled around towards Obi-Wan and… Anakin. 

‘Father’, Luke muttered. He could feel the confusing mix of happiness and apprehension that always accompanied the memory of his father rush through him. 

‘Luke’, Anakin said, a painful expression crossing his face. 

‘I didn’t- I thought it was only Obi-Wan’, Luke stammered. 

‘I understand that you may not… want to speak to me… if you wish, I can leave… but I couldn’t stay away. Not- not when my son has a chance at happiness that- neither Obi-Wan nor I could ever truly experience without any restrictions’, Anakin answered. His voice sounded so… different without the helmet… more… human, somehow. Luke didn’t know how he felt about that. 

‘I- no. You- you can stay. If you want. I do not hate you, father.’

Anakin sucked in a breath and Luke could feel joy come off of his father in waves. The complicated mess of emotions in Luke’s stomach settled the tiniest bit. It was true in a sense. He  _ didn’t _ hate his father. Their relationship was… strained at best, but he didn’t hate him. He couldn’t, apart from the fact that the Jedi code forbade him from hating anyone. Anakin’s descent had been… a complicated mess of manipulation and circumstances and bad choices. 

‘Luke’, Obi-Wan said, softly. Luke stopped staring at his father and turned his attention towards the elder Jedi. 

‘You have a chance at happiness here. What is holding you back?’

Luke swallowed. 

‘It’s… complicated. I- I feel it is unfair to Din that I can sense his emotions… It feels like I’ve betrayed his trust.’

Obi-Wan hummed while Anakin’s eyes flitted between the two of them. 

‘You are a Jedi. Sensing the feelings of sentient beings around you is in your nature. You’ve never tried to pry into his feelings without his consent, have you?’, Obi-Wan asked, stroking his beard. 

‘Of course not!’

‘Then you didn’t do anything wrong’, Anakin interjected. 

‘It’s a bit more complicated than that’, Obi-Wan said, raising a placating hand. ‘It’s not that you’re wrong, Anakin. Luke, you’ve never used your knowledge of his feelings for your own personal gain?’

‘N-no, I don’t think I have..’, Luke trailed off. Obi-Wan nodded again. 

‘It’s something that you have to discuss, of course. But- and believe me, I’ve talked to him- I don’t think he sees it as an invasion. Be honest with him. That’s the most important basis for any stable relationship’, Obi-Wan finished. Anakin winced next to him. Tentatively, Obi-Wan put a hand on his old Padawan’s shoulder. Luke could feel that there was still… distance between them that probably hadn’t existed beforehand, but he could also sense an unspoken understanding. 

‘Those aren’t all of your fears’, Anakin said. It wasn’t a question. 

Luke sighed. 

‘No, father. I- well, it feels like- I’m not the right person for him. I can’t ever be… truly his. Part of me is always committed to the force… and he has feelings that are possessive and I cannot allow myself to have those feelings in return’, Luke said, turning to stare at his shoes. It occurred to him how surreal it was that he was talking to his deceased father and his… deceased adopted grandfather? Uncle? About his relationship with Din.  _ Din would probably call it kriffing weird Jedi shit, _ Luke thought fondly. He could feel the now familiar giddy feeling always connected to Din sighing and calling something  _ Jedi shit _ rise up in him. 

‘Luke, that’s not necessarily a bad thing’, Obi-Wan said. ‘Do you think Din would be able to give himself fully to you? With his son? With his faith? With his own life?’

‘I- that’s not the same’, Luke started. 

‘Isn’t it?’

Luke was silent. He’d never thought about it like that. 

‘I- I suppose it isn’t that- different… I never… thought of that’, he whispered. 

‘To be fair, I never thought of it either’, Anakin chipped in. 

‘Runs in the family, then’, Obi-Wan said, his teasing warm and familiar. Luke felt a strange sense of… peace wash over him at Obi-Wan’s words. 

‘Ahsoka did say that it wasn’t my decision to make’, Luke said after a while. 

‘A-Ahsoka?’, Anakin whispered. Luke nodded. Anakin looked like he wanted to say something, but couldn’t find the words. Obi-Wan’s hand on Anakin’s shoulder seemed to tighten. 

‘She’s grown so much’, Obi-Wan murmured. Anakin could only nod. 

‘She is right’, Obi-Wan continued. ‘You cannot take the choice away from Din. You two have to talk about this and other things… and each of you must make a choice. But you cannot choose for someone else.’

‘I-I understand… but didn’t you do the same?’, Luke asked, suddenly remembering Ahsoka’s vague comments about Obi-Wan’s past. 

The other grimaced. 

‘I am a bit of a hypocrite in that regard’, he admitted. 

‘Never thought I’d hear you say that’, Anakin muttered, his voice still thick with emotion. 

‘Well, my old padawan, death puts a lot of things into perspective, wouldn’t you say?’

‘That’s one way of putting it’, Anakin mumbled. 

Obi-Wan chuckled warmly and turned back to Luke. 

‘I did choose for them… in Satine’s case, well, we both had duties… I had left the order before and had only been accepted again because of Master Qui-Gon… and she and I… we never explicitly talked about our feelings until years later. Had she said the word, I would’ve left the order, but… neither of us confronted it, so I made the decision to stay with the order and let go of my feelings’, Obi-Wan explained, staring at a spot behind Luke. 

‘Would you choose differently today?’, Luke asked. He was genuinely curious. He’d only heard of one Jedi harbouring romantic feelings before and hearing it from Obi-Wan who always seemed like such a perfect Jedi was… strangely freeing. 

‘I don’t know. In today’s situation, yes. In the circumstances of the past? I don’t know.’

Luke nodded. He stayed quiet for a while. 

‘That was Satine… what about… Cody?’, he finally asked, unsure if he even should. 

Anakin, who had been listening quietly, choked on his spit. 

‘Ah, I see Ahsoka saw through my flimsy excuses’, Obi-Wan mumbled. He didn’t sound too upset. 

_ ‘Cody?’,  _ Anakin asked, coughing and completely scandalized. 

Obi-Wan raised an eyebrow at his former padawan. 

‘Why, yes. _ Cody. _ Did you really not realise?’

Anakin stared at Obi-Wan and Luke had to stifle a giggle at the shocked expression on his father’s face. 

‘But-but he’s so  _ boring’, _ Anakin said, completely baffled. 

‘I assure you, Cody was… many things. Boring was not one of them’, Obi-Wan said, a soft but mournful expression crossing over his face. 

‘I-how did I not-  _ what the kriff’,  _ Anakin mumbled, throwing a helpless glance at Luke who was trying his damndest not to start laughing. 

‘It explains why you thought we were all too block headed to see that you were married for years’, Obi-Wan commented drily. 

_ ‘Cody’, _ Anakin mumbled again. 

Obi-Wan regarded him with a raised eyebrow for a few more seconds before turning back to Luke. 

‘Disregarding your father having a crisis over my… feelings for a certain commander… Luke, you are right. In Cody’s case… well, we were both aware of the feelings… I won’t pretend that we never acted on them either, but we- there wasn’t a situation or a possibility for us… when I’d finally thought the war was coming to a close, well… you know the rest. My point is that you actually have an opportunity. Do not waste it, Luke. The force is with you and with Din.’

Luke stared at Obi-Wan. 

‘I can’t believe you wanted to date Cody of all people’, Anakin muttered. Obi-Wan shot him a sharp glance. 

‘Why wouldn’t I? He was a wonderful man. Competent, intelligent, kind, funny and he could roundhouse kick droids like no other.’

‘But we weren’t  _ supposed  _ to roundhouse kick droids’, Anakin said. 

‘I never thought you were such a stickler for the rules, Anakin’, Obi-Wan shot back. 

‘He- he roundhouse kicked droids?’, Luke asked, completely distracted from his own problems for a while. He didn’t mind. It helped him calm his confusing mess of feelings. 

‘Like no other. He also dogpiled General Grievous with his troopers once… truly a sight to see’, Obi-Wan said, a warm smile on his face. 

_ ‘That was one of the stupidest maneuvers I’ve ever seen’, _ Anakin added, still obviously shaken. But Luke could just see the beginnings of a smile form around his lips. It reminded him of Leia. 

‘I’d argue it was smart. It did the trick and prevented quite a number of deaths’, Obi-Wan answered. 

‘I have to ask Ahsoka about this when she comes here’, Luke said, barely concealing his glee at getting to see a bit more of his old master and his father. 

‘Do. She was always more observant than anyone gave her credit for’, Obi-Wan said. Anakin nodded and suddenly, his face turned serious. 

‘If- if you do see her… could you- could you give her a message from me?’, Anakin said, staring down at his shoes as well. ‘I don’t know if she ever wants to hear from me, but… if she does… tell her… tell her that I am sorry… that doesn’t feel like enough… but it’s all I can say. Tell her I said ‘I’m sorry, snips.’’

Luke nodded. He could see that Anakin was struggling and he felt some sympathy for him. But he also understood that there was a good chance that Ahsoka would never want to hear from her old master again. 

‘I will tell her if she wishes to hear it’, Luke said simply. 

‘Thank you, son’, Anakin whispered. ‘I- I suppose I’ll leave you two now… I was never the best at emotional talks… but for what it’s worth, Luke… even if my advice doesn’t count for much… I do think that this man seems… well, if he makes you happy, that’s the most important thing… but be honest with him… don’t make my mistakes.’

With that, Anakin turned to the side and Luke could see the outline of his ghost fray at the edges. 

‘May the force be with you… and may you be happy’, Anakin whispered. And then, as if in a last act of defiance, he turned to shoot Obi-Wan a good-natured glare.

‘I still blame the Mandalorian thing on you. That’s definitely  _ your _ influence, Master.’

With that, Anakin faded into nothingness, leaving Luke and Obi-Wan alone in the room. Luke stared at the spot where his father vanished with a whirlwind of emotions running through his head. 

‘Anakin has a point, Luke’, Obi-Wan finally said, ripping Luke out of his thoughts. ‘Be honest with him. Don’t repeat your father’s or my mistakes. For once, I’d hope that the Padawans of my lineage could be… happy.’

Luke didn’t know what to say, so he just stood in front of the ghost of a young Obi-Wan Kenobi whose eyes looked so much older than the rest of him. 

‘I wish for you to be happy, Luke. You and Leia and Din and Ahsoka. Don’t repeat the mistakes of the previous generations.’

‘Thank you’, Luke whispered through the beginnings of tears. 

Obi-Wan smiled at him warmly. 

‘I have faith that you and Din will… find a way, my dear’, Obi-Wan said. ‘And remember. The force is with you. Always.’

‘Thank you, Ben’, Luke mumbled, tears running down his cheeks as he looked into the fading face of the kind man who’d taught him so much in so little time. 

Obi-Wan disappeared and Luke was left alone in the room. With a deep breath, he settled on a stone, closing his eyes and starting his meditation. He had a lot of things to think about before he felt ready to face Din. 

_ I will tell him, _ Luke thought to himself.  _ Tonight. After the bonfire. I will tell him that I love him. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks so much for reading!! let me know what you thought!!  
> you can probably tell but i had a lot of fun writing some anakin and obi-wan banter wow  
> i also didnt initially plan on adding anakin but then i had this idea of wow anakin would be so fucking shocked at the cody reveal and then i couldn't help myself and i had to add the angry boi sfgsfdgdf i really hope i characterized him accurately, bc i always found it hard to kinda... grasp anakin after his death  
> also i know i initially said id keep the codywan unconfirmed but dude... ive been reading so many good codywan fics... i couldnt stop myself... obi-wan is just too fucking shippable i swear... with everyone he ever meets... and i just really love cody my guys... i just think he's neat...  
> also i would apologize for the obvious obi-wan stanning here but honestly im not sorry... i think even if i wasn't absolutely enamoured with this man he would bring something interesting to the story.  
> in other news i made a series for my star wars fics bc im mentally already planning a codywan fic, so if you're interested in more of my writing, then feel free to subscribe to that!!!  
> as always, if feel free to dm me on tumblr @mandalourian


	37. Cyar'ika

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After Lyra's welcome bonfire, Din and Luke finally talk about their feelings.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi yall!! i hope you enjoy today's chapter, which is the finale of this story!!! I'll try to have the epilogue up by tomorrow or tuesday, depending on how busy i am at this week.

Din woke up to Luke shuffling around the room. He didn’t fully remember falling asleep, since he’d spent hours staring at the ceiling and thinking heavily. Careful not to wake Grogu, Din sat up, watching Luke who was sitting at the desk and typing something into a datapad. For all the thinking that Din had been doing, he had no idea how to start talking to Luke. 

So instead, he busied himself with tracing the muscles of Luke’s back that were showing through his dark tunic. He rested his eyes on Luke’s shoulders, his gaze running over the shoulder blades down to his narrow waist and back up to the tendons of Luke’s neck that stretched and contracted as the Jedi leaned his head to one side. He longed to run his hands through Luke’s soft sandy hair, longed to pull the other in and kiss him, kiss him until the only thing he remembered was the taste of Luke’s lips, the smell of his hair, the feeling of holding him so close. 

_If I talk to him,_ Din thought _, that might happen. Obi-Wan said so after all._

Ignoring how kriffing weird it was to take advice from your crush’s dead Jedi master, Din sighed and started to stand up, glancing back at Grogu who was still fast asleep. Luke must have sensed that Din was awake, since he didn’t react to the movement behind him. 

‘I hope you rested well’, Luke whispered, still bent over his datapad. 

‘More or less… I had some… things to think about’, Din answered. Luke set down the datapad and turned around in the chair. Din couldn’t help but smile at Luke’s slightly dishevelled hair. 

‘Me too’, Luke whispered. Din saw that the other had somehow managed to get some twigs stuck in his hair. 

‘What the kriff did you do?’, Din asked, grinning and walking over to Luke to gently pick a piece of wood out of the other’s hair. 

‘Oh- that. Right. Well, if you build a bonfire on your own, sometimes you need to crawl into tiny spaces for matches and all that.’

‘Couldn’t you just do some force shit to hover it into the pile?’

Luke laughed. 

‘I could. But I like doing it the normal way. It’s fun. And I never really got to do it as a kid… we didn’t really have wood on Tatooine.’

Din cocked his head. 

‘You grew up on Tatooine?’, he asked. 

Luke nodded. 

‘I stayed with my aunt and uncle for most of my life… Obi-Wan brought me to them after the fall of the Republic so I’d be safe… I was a farm boy for the first 19 years of my life.’

‘You, a farmer?’

Luke chuckled drily. 

‘I know. Not exactly hero material-’

Din shook his head. 

‘That’s not what I meant. You just… well, it makes sense that you weren’t always a Jedi… but it’s strange to think of you doing anything but this… you excel at all this- well I guess this Jedi shit.’

Luke looked up at Din with one of those disarming smiles that always left him breathless. 

‘That’s very kind of you to say.’

‘Just the truth’, Din mumbled. ‘Besides, what is hero material anyway… who cares where you’re from if you’re saving people.’

Luke hummed in agreement. 

‘Thank you, Din.’

Din nodded and picked another bit of wood out of Luke’s hair. He also brushed some dust off his shoulder. 

‘You really were very invested in the pile of wood, huh?’, he teased. 

‘It’s a big pile.’

‘I’m sure the kids will love it.’

Luke grinned. 

‘They always do. With every new student we have a large bonfire in the main courtyard and we let off fireworks. The last time R2 spontaneously started playing some music and the kids started dancing around the campfire… it ends up with them having a sleepover to welcome the new student.’

Din smiled. 

‘Grogu got a bonfire and a sleepover?’

‘Of course he did’, Luke assured him. ‘He was very pleased.’

‘I can imagine’, Din chuckled. ‘He’s very easily fascinated by colourful things. Or things he shouldn’t be eating. Or things that are dangerous.’

Luke giggled. 

Din wasn’t entirely sure if Grogu could hear that his father was talking about him, but the child shuffled around in the large blankets. Immediately, Din walked over to him. 

‘Heya kid’, he mumbled, picking Grogu up gently. The child stretched out his small hands and ran them over Din’s beard. Then, he decisively poked Din’s nose, much to Luke’s amusement. 

‘Buiiiiiirblb’, Grogu said and Din felt so much affection in his heart that he wasn’t sure how it didn’t explode. 

‘Grogu’, he whispered as the toddler kept poking Din’s nose happily. 

_‘Adorable’,_ Luke whispered. Din felt his face heat up and he was glad that he was occupied with Grogu since he didn’t know if he could handle seeing the soft expression that he was sure was resting on Luke’s face. 

‘I hope you’re ready for a sleepover tonight, kid’, he said instead. Grogu babbled happily. 

‘He’s very excited’, Luke explained. ‘He’s also happy that he knows your name now.’

‘My- my name?’, Din asked dumbly. ‘He knows my name-’

‘Buir’, Luke said simply. 

_‘Oh.’_

‘Like I said. Adorable’, Luke said, his voice indescribably warm. 

‘Y-yeah’, Din choked out, trying his best to keep the tears building up in his eyes from spilling. 

‘I’ll leave you to get dressed, but then we should head out’, Luke whispered. ‘The kids are probably already raring to go.’

Din nodded, taking a deep breath. 

‘I can take Grogu’, Luke said fondly. Din handed over his son wordlessly, running a hand over his head and smiling at Luke. 

‘See you in a bit’, he whispered. Luke nodded fondly. 

* * *

Din made short work of collecting his armour. He’d polished it before going to sleep since polishing _beskar_ always made him feel a bit more at ease and in control when his feelings were leaving him untethered and confused. He got dressed quickly, putting on his helmet and leaving all weapons except the darksaber and his blaster that were strapped to his belt in the room. It was a testimony to how much he trusted Luke’s security and skill. 

When he stepped out of the room, he locked it behind him and headed out of the study and towards the main courtyard. At some point during the nap, the sun had set and the courtyard was now only illuminated by the light coming from inside the temple. In the darkness, it took Din a while to locate where exactly Luke and the other kids were standing, but when he finally found them, he saw that they were standing around a gigantic pile of wood in the middle of the courtyard. Someone, probably the droids, had dragged a table out of the mess hall and arranged it so the chairs were all facing the fire. Luke was fussing over the pile of wood while the children were already sitting in the chairs, Grogu on his special baby stool and Lyra in the middle. She looked excited and she was smiling brightly at Tionne who was seated next to her and seemed to be telling her a story. 

‘Hey kids’, Din greeted warmly. ‘Hey Luke.’

‘Mr. Djarin!’, Lyra yelled at the same time as Nava yelled ‘Mr. The Mandalorian!’ 

Luke turned away from the wood and smiled at Din. 

‘Din’, he said warmly. Din thought that no matter how many times he’d hear Luke say his name, it wouldn’t ever get old. 

‘D’you need help?’, Din asked Luke, waving at Nava who was bouncing in their seat excitedly. Grogu, who was sitting next to them, was already munching on a cookie. Din didn’t know how he’d gotten it, but he had no doubt that shenanigans had been involved. _That’s my son,_ Din thought proudly. 

‘Yes actually’, Luke said and Din turned back to him. ‘I usually light the bonfire with my saber, but I thought it would be nice to light it from both ends?’

Din grinned underneath the helmet and by Luke’s responding smile, Din thought the other could probably sense his interest. 

‘Sounds fun’, he said. 

‘Very well’, Luke said, giving Din a nod and a lopsided smile and turning towards the table. ‘Tonight we welcome another youngling. You’ve all already met Lyra, but I’d still like us all to welcome her in the Jedi temple together. I expect all of you to make her feel welcome. Remember, you are the next generation of Jedi, the peacekeepers of the galaxy. It’s an honour and a burden we all carry. Only with our combined effort can we all protect the innocent and help those in need and keep the galaxy at peace.’

The kids were all sitting with bright eyes, staring at Luke who was illuminated by the warm yellow light of the kitchen that was shining into the courtyard. The night sky stretched out behind him, the innumerable stars twinkling. Din hadn’t seen a more beautiful sight in all his life. 

_Skywalker indeed,_ he thought in awe. 

‘Lyra’, Luke said, now speaking directly to the newest member of their small family. ‘Welcome. I hope that we can give you a home where you can live in peace and in happiness. The galaxy may be large and scary, but here and elsewhere you will find people who are your equal, people who love you and care for you. I think you already have.’

With that, Luke glanced at Tionne, a warm smile on his face at the sight of his eldest pupil. 

‘I wish that all of you will grow up in a galaxy that has learnt from its past mistakes and I know that you’re all going to make the galaxy a far more interesting and vibrant place and I could not be more proud of the fact that I get to be your teacher.’

Luke turned towards Din who had taken his place on the other side of the pile of wood. With a nod from him, both Luke and Din ignited their sabers, stabbing them into the middle of the pile of wood and setting fire to the small bushels of dried leaves that Luke had put into the pile of wood. 

It was a wonderful sight. For Din, fire often came along with things exploding or falling apart, but this was different. As he stepped back he could see the flames lick up the dry wood, slowly spreading and flickering up into the night. The courtyard was illuminated by the warm glow of the fire that started to crackle. The smell spread through the air as the kids cheered happily. 

‘Now everyone! Eat whatever you would like and afterwards we can play and dance’, Luke said, laughing. Din turned towards his voice and he could only see the back of his head illuminated by the fire as the Jedi had turned to the children. 

When Din finally sat down at the table, the kids were already eating and talking excitedly. He was seated next to Grogu and Nava leaned forward to tell him about Grogu’s drawing. Din felt himself laugh more freely than he had in years, maybe ever. He wasn’t sure if it was the fire heating him up or the general happiness that all of the kids and Luke seemed to be exuding, or just the fact that for the first time since his parents had died, he truly had a home. Not just an underground hideout that he had to sneak into. Not just an old ship that was always on the verge of falling apart. No, a true home and a family to fill it. 

‘Mr. The Mandalorian, you seem happy!’, Nava said. They were grinning. 

‘I am’, Din answered simply. Nava laughed and Grogu babbled gladly. Din couldn’t help but reach out to pat Nava’s head and slip Grogu some more cookies. 

‘You’re a good kid, Nava’, he said warmly. Nava bristled under the praise. 

‘Thank you, Mr. The Mandalorian!’, they exclaimed. 

‘You can just call me Mr. Djarin, kid.’

Nava nodded enthusiastically and then turned around towards Tionne who was calling the kids towards the fire. With an excited squeal, Nava picked up Grogu from the stool and ran towards the other children that were already gathering around the campfire. The blue astromech had materialized out of nothing and was standing next to the campfire and suddenly the courtyard was filled with music coming from the droid. 

It was a wonderful mixture of sounds. The crackling of the logs, the laughter of the children dancing around the campfire and the jaunty, happy tune the droid was playing. 

‘They’re still so young’, Luke said. Din hadn’t noticed him approaching. When Nava had left him at the table Din had gotten up and leaned against one of the pillars, fondly watching the scene. Luke must have taken the long way around. Or Din had just been too enamoured with the sight of his son bouncing happily on Nava’s shoulders. 

‘I’m glad they get to be kids’, Din whispered. 

‘Me too. They’ve all gone through so much… I hope things like this help them have a real childhood.’

‘Unlike us, you mean?’, Din asked. Luke laughed without humour. 

‘I suppose. I didn’t have a bad childhood, per se… I was just lonely. And there was the empire, of course…’, he trailed off. 

‘Mine wasn’t bad… until the war came’, Din said darkly. ‘But that won’t happen to this generation.’

‘Not if I have any say in it’, Luke said, his voice hard. Din knew that if he were to look, Luke would have that steely look in his eyes, the kind of incomprehensibly attractive conviction that always made Din want to help the other more. 

‘You and me both’, Din whispered. He felt Luke step next to him, his shoulder pressing against Din’s armour. 

_Soon,_ Din promised himself. _I’ll tell him. Soon._

‘Do you want to join the fun?’, Luke asked. 

‘I’ll stay here for now’, Din answered. Luke nodded and reached out his hand to squeeze Din’s quickly, heading towards the kids. Very quickly, the six children had roped Luke into carrying at least one of them on his back while they ran around the campfire, screaming and laughing and squealing. Din’s heart was full and happy as he watched the man that he’d realised was the love of his life play with his son and five other laughing children. 

He watched from the shadows for a long time, content with just seeing the way the fire burnt brightly, illuminating the happy faces. When Luke finally came to a stop, Din pushed himself off of the pillar he was leaning against and headed towards the fire that was still burning brightly. The children had sat on the ground. They all seemed extremely happy but very exhausted and Din felt his heart soar at the tentative smile that was spreading over Lyra’s face

‘Alright, now everyone, I’ll bring you all to the dining hall. We’ve made a large blanket fort for you all to have your sleepover and you can watch the fireworks from there. The kitchen is the highest and has the best view of the entire sky’, Luke explained as Din came to a stop next to him. 

The children cheered in delight and Luke and Din ushered them all into the kitchen, making sure they all brushed their teeth and changed properly before saying good night and promising them a fantastic firework show. 

‘We’ll see you tomorrow’, Luke said. ‘Have a good night, everyone.’

‘Good night, kids’, Din mumbled, bending down to ruffle through Nava’s hair and hug Grogu. He gave Lyra a soft pat on the head and waved at the other three kids who were already at the side of the kitchen, eagerly staring out of the window. 

‘Good night Master Skywalker, Mr. Djarin!’, the kids answered in an uncoordinated chorus. 

With that, Luke led Din outside of the kitchen and back towards the main courtyard where one of the kitchen droids was standing next to the blue trash can. The tune that the astromech was playing was softer than what he’d played earlier. Din smiled underneath his helmet as Luke turned towards the kitchen droid. 

‘You can start the fireworks’, he said.

‘Yes, Master’, the droid said, nodded and walked away towards the vague direction of the training grounds. 

Luke turned to Din. 

‘I know you didn’t want to earlier, but… would you like to dance with me?’

Din’s entire being screamed at him to say yes. As if he’d needed any convincing. 

‘I would- yes. Very much’, he mumbled. The smile that he got in turn was absolutely stunning. 

Luke took one of Din’s hands in his and wrapped the other around his waist. Then he placed his own hand on Din’s shoulder and Din cursed his armour for being yet another barrier. He was so close to Luke that his head was starting to get dizzy. 

With a sigh, Luke leaned his head against Din’s forehead. 

‘I don’t really know how to dance’, Din whispered. 

‘Me neither’, Luke answered. ‘Maybe we can learn together?’

‘I would like that’, Din murmured. Then, he started stepping side to side, softly coaxing Luke to do the same. Gently the two of them started twirling around the campfire. It wasn’t particularly graceful, but Din wouldn’t have changed anything about the moment for the world. In his mind, it was perfect. 

‘I can’t tell you how much it means to me that you’re staying’, Luke whispered after a while. Din, who had closed his eyes without realising, opened them again, staring into Luke’s eyes that glinted in the darkness. 

‘I want to stay’, Din answered. 

‘I know.’

‘Good. You- I want you to know. That I want to stay. And- how much you mean to me’, Din whispered. 

‘You mean so much to me, Din’, Luke answered. Din drew back a bit as the first firework exploded behind Luke. It illuminated the sky with a gorgeous blue. Luke’s hair was gleaming in the firelight and the blue fireworks were reflecting in the Jedi’s eyes. 

‘Beautiful’, Din whispered and Luke’s cheeks reddened. It made him only more beautiful. 

‘Din-’, Luke started, but Din shook his head. 

‘Let me- say this… I- I’m not very good at words, but I want to- say this’, Din interrupted. Luke nodded and for a moment, both of them were dancing quietly next to a roaring campfire, with fireworks exploding over their heads and a soft, romantic tune playing through the droid’s speakers. 

‘Okay… so… I- I really don’t know-- how people do this- but I’ll try my best. I- Obi-Wan said that you probably already know a part of this, but I still… I want to tell you’, Din finally said. He took a deep breath and stared into Luke’s eyes, finding only patience and warmth. It gave him the strength he needed. 

_‘Jate vaar'tur, cyar’ika_ means good morning, darling’, Din started. Luke frowned slightly until his face cleared and he opened his mouth. Din shook his head and closed his eyes, for once grateful for his helmet. He wasn’t sure if he would have been brave enough to say what he wanted, what he needed to say without it.

‘Luke, I- I’ve never… had someone… who made me feel the way you do. I’ve never… for a long time I had no idea… what this feeling was… I always thought that I would never… but then I met you and- my life has gotten so much better with you in it… it feels like I have a purpose and it feels like you’ve helped me find that purpose… you’ve helped me… figure out a way to honour my religion but at the same time… feel like I’m myself. Just being around you is… inspiring, it’s exhilarating- it’s not like anything I’ve ever felt before. You’re so… you made me realise that I’m… a complete person in my own right… you made me realise that there is so much to life that I never really allowed myself to have… you’ve given my son and me a home, a life that neither of us could’ve ever dreamt of and I know I will never be able to thank you enough for that…’

Din paused momentarily, gathering his thoughts. He didn’t dare open his eyes, not until he was finished. 

‘You’re so wonderfully human… so wonderfully you… everything about you is… beautiful in its own sense… your recklessness and your jokes… your caring and nurturing side… how much of a stupidly self-sacrificing _di’kut_ you are… your eyes, your lips, your hair… it took me a while to figure out… but Luke Skywalker, I love you. I’m- I’m in love with you. You’re everything I never knew I- wanted, wished for… you’re it. This- these feelings I have for you- they’re what some people spend their lives searching for… I- I’m completely and utterly in love with you.’

Din felt… strangely light. He’d finally… _finally_ said it… he could breathe freely and he opened his eyes without the dread he’d expected. 

Nothing could’ve prepared him for the sight in front of him. It was strangely ridiculous. He’d seen Luke’s face in so many instances. He’d seen the other awake, he’d seen him fighting and laughing and crying and glaring and sleeping… but he’d never seen him quite like this. 

Luke’s face was bathed in the fading light of the bonfire. There were tears in his eyes and streaming down his face. His smile was brighter than any star in the universe and his eyes were twinkling with such open love, adoration and happiness that it nearly knocked Din clean off his feet. The Jedi opened and closed his mouth a few times, but he couldn’t seem to form words. Taking a deep breath, Luke closed his eyes and leaned his head against Din’s helmet again. 

‘I- If you ever say that you’re bad with words again I will- I don’t know what I will do… but I’ll do something’, Luke whispered, entirely breathlessly. ‘You- you wonderful, beautiful man. I- My own speech… pales in comparison to that, but-- you deserve the best, you really do… so I will do my best to… tell you what I feel.’

Din’s heart was beating out of his chest. It had been for a while. Luke pulled back a bit and placed a hand on Din’s neck, right underneath the helmet, his thumb brushing over the small sliver of exposed skin. 

‘I- Din, you’re… you’re so incredibly special to me… you have been, from the start but with every day, I- I learn more about you and I get to know more about you and every detail just makes you- more gorgeous… every detail makes me love you more. You said I helped you figure out who you are… well, so did you- I- I have so many demons, so many fears… so many parts of myself that I’m scared of showing people because they aren’t the perfect Jedi- but you- you show so much… true kindness… so much warmth with everything you do… it’s- it’s wonderful. Being in your presence… the force clings to you and you give off this… warmth. It’s like an ever-present simmering flame… and you’re exactly like that. I know you don’t think much of yourself in the grand scheme of things, but Din you’re- you’re so important. You’re so special. I- as a Jedi I will never be able to truly give my entire being to you and I’ll never be able to receive yours- but, I- I don’t think- that’s what’s important here… We’re individuals and… of course we can’t give ourselves completely to each other… I have the force, you have your religion and your child… but… that doesn’t mean that I cannot love you with my whole heart. That doesn’t mean that I’m not irretrievably in love with you too… I don’t know if I’m pronouncing this correctly, but Din, my dear, _ni kar'tayl gar darasuum.’_

Din was speechless. His entire being was pounding, his heart beating in his throat. He couldn’t hear the fireworks over the crackling of the fire and Luke’s soft but decisive words, couldn’t think of anything but Luke’s confession and the fact that this beautiful, wonderful, kind, fantastic being loved him back. 

‘Y-you do?’, Din croaked after he’d found his voice again. 

‘I do’, Luke whispered. ‘I love you, Din Djarin. I’m in love with you.’

Din barely stifled a sob. 

‘I love you, I love you, I love you’, he started whispering, leaning his head against Luke’s again. His head was spinning with _he loves me, he loves me, he_ loves _me._

Luke giggled wetly, the tears still running down his face. 

‘I love you’, he answered. ‘I- I had an inkling… that you liked me, Din- I am sorry… I should have told you that I could sense your feelings-’

Din shook his head, still completely reeling. 

‘I- don’t apologize… I know… I trust you. You would never do- use it… I want you to know what I feel’, he whispered.

‘I- if that’s truly what you feel’, Luke answered. 

‘Yes- Luke, I- I trust you. I love you. I- I want to be with you- if that’s something- you would want too’, Din mumbled. 

‘Yes, with all my heart’, Luke whispered. ‘I- possessiveness isn’t the Jedi way, so I can’t be… selfish if it comes to you… but I- I would like nothing more than to be with you… share a life… raise these children together… I want to grow old with you Din Djarin… I want to be happy with you and make you happy every day of our lives.’

Din inhaled through the tears streaming down his face. 

_‘Kriffing poet’,_ he mumbled but his voice was so happy and so shaky that it sounded more like a pet name than anything else. Luke giggled happily. 

‘I want that- I want that so much’, Din whispered. ‘I want- to be with you- by your side… by the kids’ side… you make me happy. And I want to make you smile, like… all the time.’

Luke leaned impossibly closer. 

‘Deal’, he whispered through the tears. 

‘Deal’, Din promised. 

For a moment, they simply stood there, holding onto each other, crying and staring at each other while the last of the fireworks exploded in the sky. Then, Luke drew back the tiniest bit, his lips quivering with how widely he was smiling. 

‘Din- I- I really- I really want to- Can I kiss you?’, he asked and Din could hear the breathless anxiety in his voice.

 _‘Please’,_ he whispered. Luke’s smile got impossibly wider. 

‘C-can I take off your helmet?’, he asked. Din only nodded enthusiastically. His speech had deserted him. 

Slowly, with shaky hands, Luke reached out, placing his hands on either side of Din’s helmet. He gently started to lift the helmet, hearing the _swish_ as it disengaged from the rest of Din’s armour. For a moment, Din couldn’t see anything, but then Luke had lifted the helmet up completely and let it rest in the hand that had until recently been holding Din’s. 

Without the helmet distorting the colours, Luke looked even more wonderful. Din couldn’t and didn’t want to stop himself from gasping. 

_‘Mesh’la’,_ he whispered. 

‘W-what does that mean?’, Luke whispered, his face impossibly close. 

‘Beautiful’, Din translated, his eyes transfixed on Luke’s lips that were oh-so-close. Almost without thinking about it, Din reached around Luke, taking off his gloves with a quick motion and reaching his hands up to bury themselves in Luke’s impossibly soft hair. 

_‘Mesh’la’,_ Luke whispered back. Din’s hands were shaking with anticipation, his entire being was drumming and he couldn’t think, couldn’t talk, couldn’t see anything but the beautiful man in front of him. 

‘Y-you can stop me- at any point’, Luke whispered and Din could almost taste the words on his lips. Luke’s face was so close and it felt like the world, the galaxy, the _universe_ was holding its breath, waiting, anticipating until finally, _finally_ Luke’s lips were on Din’s and his brain stopped functioning. Luke’s hands were curled around Din’s neck and holding onto Din’s hair and Luke kissed him and it felt like Din was flying, like he was soaring high in the sky, like he was flying faster than any ship in hyperspace, like a million fireworks were exploding in the sky, like an entire planet had started to bloom the most beautiful flowers in a breathless, triumphant moment. 

Din’s helmet made a _clank_ sound as it dropped onto the floor, but Din didn’t care, couldn’t care, not when he was kissing the love of his life. Luke’s lips were soft, slightly chappy from where he bit them when he was nervous. He kissed him softly, gently and it wasn’t perfect, they both had no idea what they were doing, it was clumsy and Luke’s lips tasted salty, but it didn’t matter. The kiss made Din feel like his knees would give out any second. It was perfectly imperfect, feeling Luke’s lips slide against his with so much adoration that Din would’ve started crying if he hadn’t already been. 

Din cradled Luke’s head in his hands, running his fingers through the soft hair and pulling the Jedi closer, closer, closer. He experimentally swiped his tongue over Luke’s lips and suddenly the kiss deepened and Din nearly stumbled because _oh,_ that’s why everyone was so obsessed with kissing. 

Luke made a soft noise that made Din’s entire being sing with happiness. He thought that he could probably die a happy man if he did nothing but kiss Luke for the rest of his life. 

Luke kissed like he hugged, warm and tentative but oh so firmly, so resolutely that it had Din’s head spinning in the best of ways. Luke kissed him like he was a starving man and Din could only respond in the same way… he’d been starving for a kiss from Luke for months now and it was… intoxicating… addicting… euphoric to finally know just what Luke’s lips tasted of, just what soft little noises he could coax out of the Jedi, just _how_ Luke kissed. 

Din didn’t know how much time had passed, he had no idea if there were still fireworks going off in the sky, couldn’t tell if the bonfire was still going, because his focus was singularly on the Jedi. Luke, the man he loved, kissing him, wanting to be with him, wanting to share his life with him. 

When they eventually broke apart, Din kissed Luke’s forehead, his nose, his eyelids, his cheeks. He pressed his uncovered forehead against Luke’s as they panted into each other’s mouths with shuddering breaths. 

‘I- wow- I’, Luke started. Din chuckled breathlessly. 

‘Yeah’, he whispered. Luke giggled and leaned in to place another chaste kiss on Din’s lips. Din kissed him back and they lost themselves in each other, kissing happily for what felt like hours, until the courtyard was nearly entirely bathed in darkness, the fire just a low simmer. Their lips were puffy and nearly numb, but the dam had been broken and the past months filled with so much longing, so much pining were finally resolved, one kiss at a time. 

_‘Cyar’ika’,_ Din whispered. 

‘Love’, Luke answered. 

They were silent, both unable to think of words that could encompass the enormity of the feelings coursing through them. 

_‘Kriff, I love you’,_ Din whispered after a good while. Luke smiled so brightly that Din nearly confessed his undying love all over again. 

‘I love you too, Din’, Luke murmured, pressing a soft kiss to the corner of Din’s mouth. 

Din stared at what little he could see of Luke in the low light, the way his eyes glistened with happiness, with tears and how they reflected the glowing embers of the fire. The shadows falling over the courtyard were long and dark, but Luke Skywalker was shining like a star in the night sky. He was absolutely radiant and Din was absolutely enamoured. 

‘Din’, Luke whispered. 

‘Luke.’

‘Let’s go to bed’, Luke mumbled, his hands caressing Din’s face and tracing his beard, his face incredibly happy and tired. 

Din smiled so widely his cheeks hurt. 

‘Let’s go to bed, _cyar’ika’,_ he whispered. 

‘I like it when you call me that’, Luke mumbled when the two of them were wrapped up in bed, snuggled so close that the only thing between them were the layers of fabric of their respective sleeping clothes. 

‘Call you what?’, Din asked, pressing a kiss to Luke’s chin because _he could just do that now._

 _‘Cyar’ika’,_ Luke said. Din smiled brightly. 

‘Good’, Din answered. ‘Good night, _cyar’ika._ I love you.’

Luke smiled, leaning forward and placing a last kiss on Din’s lips before closing his eyes. 

‘Good night, Din my dear. I love you too.’

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks so much for reading!!! let me know what you thought!!  
> ah yes. it is finally time, my dears. the long awaited confession. i've tortured you all long enough. i really hope i managed to write a confession and a kiss that warrants the long build up!!  
> i also realised something while i was writing this... i headcanon din and luke as somewhere on the ace spectrum, so i will not be writing smut because for me personally, that doesn't really fit into this specific story. but you're of course welcome to add in your own twists and ideas!!  
> i had so much fun with the excessive cheesiness in this chapter, i just have a weakness for... stumbled but heartfelt confessions and very flowery kiss scenes sdfsfsfdsfd  
> i cant fully believe that this is actually the climax of this story, ive been writing it for such a long time now.... wild, truly wild. I really hope I didn't disappoint with the ending!!  
> as always, feel free to talk to me on tumblr @mandalourian
> 
> di'kut = idiot  
> ni kar'tayl gar darasuum = I love you


	38. Epilogue: Future

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Din and Luke and their future.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi everyone!! this is it!! the last proper chapter, an epilogue that gives some idea about where exactly they're going now.

Din woke up in a situation that should have been entirely familiar. But it wasn’t. It was a novel, thrilling feeling to wake up with Luke in his arms, knowing, believing that the other loved him. 

_ Dank kriffing farrik, he loves me,  _ Din thought, unable to stop a dopey smile from spreading all over his face.  _ Luke kriffing Skywalker, the hero of the rebellion, the man who helped topple the empire, a kriffing Jedi Master had fallen for Din kriffing Djarin.  _

Din was sure that the old Mandalorians were turning in their graves half a galaxy away. He found that he didn’t really care. Not when he had his arms full of a warm Jedi that he could wake up with a soft kiss to his forehead. 

Luke grumbled something when Din kissed his forehead and burrowed his face in Din’s chest. 

‘Good morning, cyar’ika’, Din whispered. Luke hummed. 

‘Morning, love’, he whispered into Din’s chest. Din couldn’t suppress a quiet squeal at the way Luke’s morning voice sounded. 

‘You’re in a good mood’, Luke mumbled. 

‘Ya think?’, Din answered, his cheeks hurting from how widely he was smiling. 

‘Hmm… yea you are… you’re practically glowing in the force’, Luke whispered. ‘It’s beautiful.’

Din had to close his eyes and breathe to stop himself from combusting.

‘Oh, it just got more intense’, Luke commented. Din opened his eyes only to see the other smirk like the tooka that had gotten the cream. 

‘I wonder why’, Din grumbled. 

‘I can think of a few reasons’, Luke whispered, shuffling a bit so his head was resting next to Din’s. ‘I’m sure if anyone were to look at my force signature it would be the exact same.’

Din smiled and Luke leant forwards to press a soft kiss to his lips. 

‘I’m glad we’re on the same page, cyar’ika’, Din whispered as Luke drew back. 

‘Me too’, Luke whispered. 

Both of them were silent for a short while, simply staring into each other’s eyes. Din thought that people would probably call him sappy for this, but he found that he didn’t really care all that much. How could he, when Luke was right there, staring at him with so much open adoration in his gaze? 

‘I should’ve really realised you like me earlier’, Din mumbled. Luke chuckled. 

‘I wasn’t especially… subtle about it’, he admitted. ‘While the medically assigned cuddles were real, I really didn’t have to hang off of you like a human weighted blanket.’

‘I like it when you do that’, Din hummed. 

‘I’m glad you do.’

After a pause, Luke laughed. 

‘The constant hand holding was also me trying to show you that… I was also interested. I just didn’t know how to say it… especially since you seemed very confused initially.’

‘I was very confused’, Din admitted. ‘But in retrospect, I think everyone else around us figured we were already… dating.’

At that, Luke let out a giggle that made Din want to kiss him. So he did. 

‘Mmm’, Luke whispered against Din’s lips. ‘Now that you found a way to silence me you’re very adamant about using it, huh?’

‘I like hearing you talk’, Din mumbled and kissed Luke again. ‘But I like kissing you too.’

‘Mmm- can’t blame you for that’, Luke whispered in between kisses. ‘But you’re right, Ahsoka met us for like five seconds and she thought we were dating.’

Din drew back a bit to lean his forehead against Luke’s. 

‘She did?’

‘Yeah, she told me we should get back to my boyfriend.’

‘Boyfriend, huh?’

Luke blushed. 

‘Yeah’, he whispered. 

‘Luke Skywalker’s boyfriend’, Din mused out loud. ‘Doesn’t have a bad ring to it. Although I don’t know if I count as a boy still.’

‘Manfriend just sounds weird’, Luke chuckled. ‘We can stick with boyfriend for now… maybe there are other words in the future.’

‘Hmm- sounds like you’ve thought about this’, Din teased. 

Luke grinned. 

‘I may have… daydreamed quite a bit when you were playing with the kids.’

‘Care to share?’

The resulting blush was so pretty that Din almost wanted to take a holopic. But that would’ve meant leaving the bed and Luke, so he decided against it. 

‘Well… it’s very sappy, just so you know… but we already basically have… six children now. It’s- well, I never really believed that I would be someone who would… settle down. It always reminded me of this sort of static life on Tatooine… But with you and with these kids… it doesn’t feel quite so static anymore. I have these fantasies of growing old with you, of staying here in the temple and teaching and caring for the kids together… of going to help out the galaxy and people who need our help but… having this place, this home to return to. Returning to each other, over and over again. Making this a real home and giving these kids… well, giving them real parents. Giving each other a real partner through life…’, Luke trailed off. 

Din was quiet for a few seconds, his heart bursting with emotion.

‘You didn’t use some form of Jedi mind trick to read my thoughts, did you?’, he asked. 

‘I didn’t’, Luke whispered. ‘So… you’ve thought about that too?’

Din smiled. 

‘When I said I wanted to share my life with you, that was exactly what I meant’, he whispered. ‘I’ve never really had a home, unless you count the Razor Crest and that was blown up quite a while ago… and I never thought I wanted one, not until Grogu and you came along… I love you and I want to spend my life with you and well… what you just said is exactly what I was thinking of.’

Luke’s smile was radiant. 

‘We’re really scarily compatible, aren’t we?’, Luke chuckled. 

‘A Jedi and a Mandalorian of all people’, Din said. 

‘Well, I do excel at breaking tradition.’

Din laughed lightly. In fact, everything that he was doing felt… light. It felt like he was floating, even Luke’s weight on him not enough to keep him on the ground. 

Luke smiled up at him with a glint in his eyes. 

‘I love your laugh’, he said, so quiet that Din nearly didn’t catch it. 

‘T-thank you’, he whispered. 

‘You’re really handsome when you laugh’, Luke added, a fond, lovestruck expression on his face. ‘You’re always handsome, but… your smile is just something else entirely.’

Din couldn’t continue to look at Luke, so he closed his eyes and felt himself blush furiously. 

‘Blushing is very cute too’, Luke mumbled, pressing a kiss to Din’s lips again. Din all but melted into it, cupping Luke’s face in his hands and feeling the now familiar rush of absolute delight. Kissing Luke was… it was unlike anything he’d ever experienced, breathtaking and heart wrenching and blissful. He never wanted to stop kissing Luke, and he couldn’t imagine that changing, no matter how many times he’d kissed the other. So he kissed Luke back with all the tenderness that he felt whenever the other so much as smiled at him. He kissed Luke and he poured all of the things that had gone unsaid for months into the kiss, all of his pining, all of his longing and all of his love. 

* * *

Later, when the two of them finally got out of bed, stopping to kiss each other softly as they got dressed, Luke placing a last kiss on Din’s mouth before putting on his helmet for him, Din thought that he’d rarely been this happy. 

When he and Luke found the kids who were sitting in their blanket fort and making up stories about heroic adventures and distant planets, Din realised that with Luke and Grogu and the rest of the kids he was the happiest he’d ever been. 

He sat down next to Nava who was basically vibrating out of their skin while telling a story about a neon green bantha and how it saved a planet from bright pink tookas bent on eating every last plant. On instinct, he lifted up Grogu and into his lap, allowing the child to play with Din’s gloves and then produced the metal ball he still carried around everywhere. Gorgu made happy babbling noises as he hovered the ball in his hand, floating it over to Luke who smiled at Grogu and floated it back, making the small ball do strange twirls and bounces on its way back to Grogu’s hand. 

At some point the kitchen droids came in alongside the blue astromech and the six children and Luke and Din had breakfast in the blanket fort, with excited chatter from the kids while Luke leant against Din’s shoulder, his free hand intertwined with Din’s. 

After a while, Luke turned to the kitchen droid and whispered something. Din didn’t really pay it much mind, only realising what had happened when he and Luke and Grogu went to sleep that night.

A second holopic had appeared on Luke’s desk, next to the one of the rebels. It was a scene that made Din’s heart soar; the kitchen droid had apparently taken a picture in the morning. The children were sitting on the blankets, Tionne and Lyra excitedly discussing something while Nava entertained Nil and Gaeton with one of their stories. The blue astromech was standing next to Nava, projecting a small hologram of a tooka and a bantha which Nava was gesticulating to. Luke was looking out at the kids in front of him with fond eyes, his hand intertwined with Din’s, his head on Din’s shoulder. Din himself was leaning his helmet onto Luke’s head, looking down at Grogu who was hovering the ball in front of him. Din was using his free hand to brush through Grogu’s hair. 

It was… a family portrait. Something that Din never thought he’d have, but here he was, standing on Luke’s desk in Luke’s- no, in  _ their  _ room. And here his small, tiny patchwork found family was immortalized in a holopic. He suppressed the urge to cry and smiled brightly instead. 

‘Come to bed, love’, Luke whispered behind him, and Din would never deny him a request for more cuddles. 

* * *

If you’d asked Din a few years ago what he’d be doing in the future, the answer would’ve probably been a non-commital shrug and a gesture at his ship. He would have imagined that he’d have continued to work as a bounty hunter, travelling the galaxy in search of some petty criminal or some imperial asshole. He wasn’t especially picky.

If you asked him now, the answer would be an invisible smile under his helmet and a gesture at a Jedi master dressed in black, a small green child and a haggle of five other children excitedly looking up at their teacher. He’d picked this small family and they’d picked him and now they were his future. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you all so much for reading every chapter up until this last one. i would love to hear your thoughts as always!  
> im going to be a bit sappy now so bare with me! ive been absolutely blown away by this incredible response and i want to thank everyone who left a kudo or a comment, no matter how long. you've motivated me to write something that im genuinely proud of and that made me so happy for the past month and a half. so from the bottom of my heart, thank you, i probably wouldn't have been motivated to write something this fucking long if it weren't for your guys' amazing response.  
> now, i really really love this pairing so i will most likely come back to write shorter one shots set within this universe. i'm probably going to put those into this work as bonus chapters, so if you want to keep updated, feel free to subscribe to this story or to myself in general!  
> i would also love to hear what you guys would like to read!! im already planning at least two chapters, one of which will be focussed on obi-wan and cody bc keeping them apart is killing me and the other may or may not have something to do with a more... permanent commitment for dinluke. but if you guys have any prompts for me please comment or dm me or something, i always love getting your input!!  
> again, thank you so much for sticking with me through such a long slow burn, this has truly been an absolute joy to write.  
> as always, if you want to talk to me or follow me, my tumblr is @mandalourian, dms and asks are always open!

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [Last of The Real Ones](https://archiveofourown.org/works/28526184) by [8the_cat_chemist_doctor8](https://archiveofourown.org/users/8the_cat_chemist_doctor8/pseuds/8the_cat_chemist_doctor8)




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